


Never Tickle a Sleeping Dragon

by SovngardeIsHere



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Animagus, Care of Magical Creatures, Dragons, F/M, Gringotts Wizarding Bank, Mystery, Politics, Quidditch, Wargs, Wolves
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-27
Updated: 2019-11-27
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:14:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 52,380
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21578962
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SovngardeIsHere/pseuds/SovngardeIsHere
Summary: Waking in a world he once thought fictional was somewhat hard to believe, but he could manage. Waking up as a character despised by the majority of the audience of said universe was a little harder to grasp. Watch as a very different Draco interacts with the world around him, for the night is still young and the world has secrets that are buried deep.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 9





	1. Prologue

I do not own Harry Potter.

**(Unknown 1980)**

In a barren land, a storm thundered on, echoing the misery that was misfortune. The night was dark and cloudy, it was pitch black for the moon was hidden this very night. Occasional flashes of lightning struck down from the sky, briefly lighting the night like a torch. Among the desolate environment, a manor could be seen. It was the only source of life, but at this time one’s flame was on the verge of being extinguished.

“Push my lady, you must push.” A woman in white robes urged.

A woman bound to the bed screamed. “Arggghh.” This was a troubled night for her, but it was also a night that she longed for. Her skin was pale, deathly so. Her body and robes felt constricting, even though they were loose. Her robes were soaked in sweat from her efforts during the night.

“My lady…” The white-robed woman began.

The bound lady’s face contorted. “S-shut up.” She let out in ragged breaths.

“You have to keep on…” The woman insisted.

“Yes! I bloody know what to do.” The lady snarled out. She was in pain, so much so that it hurt to hold conversation. Colour rushed towards her cheeks, for she was incredibly tense and her labour made her squeeze the muscles in her face.

The lady took quick breaths. While her eyes were open, she took in the room around her. It was depressing to see the room so empty. Yes, the room was filled with enough furniture, jewels and paintings to make the queen blush, but it was missing something more organic.

It was a dark time in the woman’s life, she made many mistakes in her youth, so many regrets. She only wished that she could turn the clock backwards and change a few things…but she knew her momentary desire could never be more than a fantasy. She had put herself in this lonely life that she now lived and she had to live with her decisions. At least she now had something to live for, someone to share happiness with.

She saw the robed woman in the process of protesting yet again, so before she complained, the lady redoubled her efforts. Her face made an ugly expression as she attempted to purge the purity within her, so it may serve as a light in this dark world. “Hah, hah, urrgggh.” She pushed with all her might.

“I can see it, my lady, one more push should do the trick.” The white-robed woman exclaimed excitedly.

The woman felt so much pain, she felt like she was going to die, but if she were to sacrifice herself then she would happily do so for her baby to live. She scrunched up her face and tensed up, readying herself for one final endeavour. “Ahhhhhh!” She screamed as she felt a presence free themselves from her body.

The lady felt drained. She breathed heavily and felt incredibly drowsy. She felt as if she had just gone against the Dark Lord himself and won. She forced herself to stay awake for she could never forgive herself for missing her child’s first moments.

She heard cooing in the distance. “Anna, let me be one with my child.” She demanded of her caretaker.

“He’s beautiful my lady.” Anna said as she passed the boy over to his mother.

As the woman felt her babe in her arms for the first time, she knew right then that she would never let him go. She eyed a tuft of silvery blond hair on the boy's scalp. The boy’s face was puffy with fat, and his cheeks were ever so rosy. His eyes were shut tight, but she could make out the big circles that covered them, her son would be very beautiful when he grew up, that was for sure. As she held him in her arms she realized one very crucial fact, her son had yet to make a sound.

Suddenly alarmed she alerted the caretaker of the new development. “Anna! Anna! Come here at once.” She shouted.

Heavy and fast footsteps were heard. “What has happened my lady?” Anna asked of her mistress.

Anna looked at the dishevelled form of her mistress and knew the issue was serious. She spoke her mind once again when she saw her mistress sobbing. “My lady? Narcissa please tell me what’s wrong.” She begged.

She didn’t answer but looked at her child. ‘Is something wrong with the child?’ Anna thought. “My lady, please tell me what the problem is.” She again begged.

“My son.” Narcissa sniffed. “Why is he so quiet? I had thought he was asleep, but he hasn’t moved either! What has happened to my child?” She screamed at her caretaker.

“Will you let me take a look?” Anna asked while reaching out. Narcissa looked extremely hesitant to part with her son. “Please Narcissa, please understand that I need to examine the child. I promise no harm shall come to him.” She said while intently meeting the fierce mother’s eyes.

Narcissa’s eyes burned for a moment, but she relented. “If you hurt him I won’t forgive you.” She said while giving her baby over to Anna.

As soon as Anna received the boy, she began to check signs of life from the boy. The boy was warm, but that was to be expected as he has just emerged from his mother’s womb. He was not moving…and not breathing either, this was bad. She took out her wand and shot out a diagnostic spell. She decided not to share the results. She decided to try anything she could. “My lady, if you will I can try to use some techniques to heal your child.” She asked her mistress.

Narcissa looked ghastly. “Please just save my child…I’ll do anything.” She begged.

Anna nodded. “Tergeo.” She cast to clean the babe of any dirt and blood that caked his skin. She would need to see if his breathing was being restricted. “Anapneo.” She cast and waited. The spell was meant to clear airways. After a minute of no new development, she began to panic. “Episkey!” She cast desperately. She had only one last spell to cast. “Reparifors!” She waited and she waited. Suddenly Narcissa burst into tears behind her.

“My lady!” Anna cried. “I’m…I’m sorry for my incompetence.” She said in a quiet voice.

Narcissa held nasty thoughts in her head. She wondered where it all went wrong for her. Was this nightmare of a situation the result of fate’s twisted justice? Throughout her life she looked down on others, always thinking that she was a wolf among the sheep. She had wronged so many people. How many people have died because of her? Among her biggest regrets was joining the Dark Lord himself. Her husband may have convinced her partly, but the actual decision to join was her own. The initiation into the ranks of his followers was a night she wished she never remembered. How that night she managed to slip into such depravity, she will never know. She grit her teeth cursing those above for taking the one good thing in her life.

Unbeknownst to all, in another universe this very moment caused a very dark future, one where the world would eventually cease to exist.

Narcissa shut her dark thoughts away. In this moment she only felt anger and the majority of it was directed towards her own husband. “How could that bastard just leave me here like this?” She snarled out with icy venom.

Anna was confused. “My lady?”

Narcissa ignored her. “That bastard actually stooped to a whole new level.” She began laughing madly. “I bore him a son and he shuns this family. Of course, the glorious Lucius Malfoy would be absent for both his son’s birth and funeral.”

Anna looked worried, Narcissa was showing all the signs of becoming psychotic and developing apathy. She suddenly feared for her own safety, but did not even dare to leave her mistress in her current state. “Narcissa please relax, I’ll call Lucius to come here at once.” She begged.

Narcissa gave her an empty look. “Don’t bother, he’s probably hunting muggles or doing some other sick thing. If he were to come home right now boasting about his ‘conquest’ to me, I could not guarantee what would happen.” She spit out.

Anna gave her a look. “Give me the boy, maybe he should rest somewhere comfortably and be at peace.” She told Narcissa.

Narcissa gave her a dangerous look. “You’ll take my child from me only when my body turns cold.” She warned.

Anna backed away from her. Anna decided that she should give her mistress some space to clear her head and grieve. “By your leave my mistress.” She said.

Narcissa, not looking at her waved her off. “Leave me.” She grit out grinding her teeth.

Anna did not wait to be told twice and bolted out of the room. As soon as Narcissa was alone she completely broke down. She held her babe to her chest and rocked back and forth on her bed. Her baby was moist and she did not know if it was from her tears or her body heat. She sobbed loudly, cursing all who still lived when her only source of joy did not.

After half an hour of wallowing in her own misfortune, she decided to lay her baby down on the bed to rest. She feared he still felt the immense pressure from her grip and was suffering from it. She stared at her baby boy. She caressed his cheeks, there was no life in him yet his cheeks and face was full of life. She kissed his forehead deeply.

“I’m so sorry young one, I’m so sorry.” She cried.

She didn’t even realize she got up till she reached the window. Her subconscious brought her to this destination and she realized why. She pushed open the window and almost immediately a harsh wind whipped her hair around and slapped her face. The rain was blown into the room and in the process, soaked Narcissa’s gown. She gazed at the night sky and did not see a light in it at all. ‘How fitting’ she thought for her own light had been diminished this very night. No stars lit the night and the moon hid from the young mother’s gaze, if you looked in her eyes you would see darkness ready to consume all.

In the distance, lightning could be seen flashing briefly illuminating the height at which the room Narcissa resided in stood. Narcissa looked at the ground and smiled sadly. She decided that if she could not join her child in this life, then she would join him in the next. As she put one foot on the window ledge the door to the room broke down.

“Carpe retractum!” A voice shouted out. A wispy thin cord made of an orange light wrapped around Narcissa and pulled her back. It was only powerful enough to yank her off the windowsill and only a few feet backwards. Narcissa turned her head angrily to the heavy footsteps closing in on her subdued form.

“Have you lost your mind!?” Anna screeched.

Narcissa greeted her with a grim look that spoke murder. “Why did you attack me, Anna?” She grit out slowly.

Anna was stunned. “Attack you…have you lost your mind! You were about to jump to your death and me saving your life seems malicious to you?” She questioned incredulously. She put her hand on Narcissa’s head to check if she was ill.

“Take your hand off of me and let me go at once.” Narcissa demanded.

Anna stopped her examination of Narcissa, but refused to let her go. “Not until you calm down. Look I know this is hard for you, but speak to me, do not suffer alone in this. Let me grieve with you and ease your burden.” Anna told her while staring intently into Narcissa’s eyes.

Narcissa met her stare for a few seconds and then her eyes started to tear up once again. She tried to hold the pain in, to bottle it up and never let it see the light of day, but she realized she could never be strong enough to face the death of her child. “Anna, it hurts inside. I feel so empty. I ask myself over and over, why I must be destined to be alone in this cruel world. First, it was my sham of a marriage, the joy I felt marrying the man who I told I loved with all heart, the man who I still love, but the fact that he prefers the company of others over his own kin is disheartening. I remember when I first got pregnant…Anna please pass me my son.” She let out.

Anna wiped her eyes and looked sadly at her mistress, she knew at her very core she was not as bad as people claimed her to be, she was simply misunderstood. She looked one last time at Narcissa and got up and went over to the bed to cradle the poor child in her arms. She treated the boy like he was glass, like he was fragile. As she walked back over to Narcissa she could only think back on how much of a disaster this night truly was.

She undid the spell binding Narcissa and handed the babe to her. She was not afraid of Narcissa jumping off the ledge anytime soon as she highly doubted that she would ever harm her child…or what was left of him.

Narcissa cooed at the boy smiling and held him close.

Unbeknownst to the occupants of the room, the window was still open and outside the lightning storm got more intense, striking the ground closer and closer to the manor.

“When I first got pregnant I thought my luck was finally turning around. Lucius for the first few months was giving me more attention than ever, always standing at my side asking if I needed anything. As the months went by I saw less and less of him, but I excused it at the time because I knew the Dark Lord forced him on missions to purge the filth. I did not care too much because it was the beginning of something new.” She sighed. “If only I knew then that it was the beginning of the end.”

Anna decided to distract her. “What was your plan for your son? Any ambitions?” She asked.

Narcissa looked at her son and sighed. “Sadly our minds were too occupied with the war, we never really had the luxury to enjoy a fantasy even though we wished for it. However, we always wished our child greatness, if he wanted to pursue politics, then we could offer him a seat in the Wizengamot. If he wanted to start a business then we could have supplied him with the capital to start such a venture. We already even had a girl in mind for him to marry. If he had been born a girl, we would also have someone to betroth the child to. We never made anything official though, that’s for sure.” Narcissa laughed lightly.

Anna smiled. “What about the name? Did you to ever decide to name him anything?” Anna asked.

Narcissa thinned her lips. “We could never actually decide on anything. Lucius and I would always fight hours every day on what to call our child. Some of the names suggested we outright ridiculous. You know he wanted to call our child if he was a boy, Lucius the second. When he suggested that name to me I laughed and rolled on the ground. How full of yourself do you have to be to name your child after yourself?” She joked lightly.

Anna chuckled. “Well, what is it?” She asked.

Narcissa raised a brow. “You’re going to have to be a bit more specific than that.” She said.

Anna smiled. “The name. What is the name?” She asked cheerfully.

Narcissa smiled weakly. “I already told you we did not decide on anything.” She replied.

Anna rolled her eyes. “No I mean what do you want the child to be called? Every person at the very least deserves a name and I think your son would be more than worthy of such an honour.” She stated. “I mean it’s not like Lucius is here, so that means you have free reign on choosing a name.” She grinned.

Narcissa was saddened by the sudden reminder that her husband was not with her at this difficult period of time, but lightened up at the prospect of choosing a name for her son. “You know what I don’t…” Whatever Narcissa was about to say was suddenly cut off as thunder roared close to their ears and a flash of lightning struck the room, knocking back all the occupants.

A fire raged inside the room, mostly near the window. Lightning danced around the manor and the sound of thunder never faltered even for a moment. The clouds above the sky spun and soon a vortex could be seen in the sky. The movement of clouds caused the moon to reveal itself for a few seconds and aim a few rays into the manor for a brief moment, washing the occupants in the light.

Narcissa was the first to get up. She looked around her and noticed her caretaker getting up after her. They both felt delirious and their bodies ached. Something felt off to Narcissa, but she could not place what it was.

She turned her gaze towards the light in her peripheral vision. As both women turned their heads they panicked at this sight. A fire was raging inside the room.

“What the hell has happened?” Narcissa asked. Suddenly she realized something familiar was missing. “Oh no! My baby, what has happened to my son?” She yelled.

She looked at the fire raging and noticed her son in the middle of the flames resting on the ground. Without even thinking, Narcissa rushed forward towards her son ignoring the blazing heat.

Anna was knocked out of her stupor as Narcissa dashed madly across the fiery room. She quickly cast a charm to extinguish the flames. She then ran after her mistress.

Narcissa grabbed her son and examined every inch of his skin for any blemish, but found none. Funny enough the cloth that was wrapped around her son had burned and perished in the flames, but her son’s skin remained white as snow. The flames around her died and she suddenly froze. Something not even in her wildest dreams just occurred. She felt movement.

Anna rushed over towards Narcissa and began casting healing spells on her, but she still stood still. “Narcissa are you alright? Did you burn yourself anywhere?” She asked.

“My son…” Narcissa said in tears.

Anna whipped her head to the babe. “Is he alright…” She said and was soon shocked out of her mind.

“Ahhhh urrghh ahhhh.” The baby opened its mouth and started to cry. As the minutes passed by his cries grew in intensity. He soon started shaking in Narcissa’s grip and she tightened her hold on him in joy.

After a while, Anna was knocked out of her shock. “How? Just…just how is this possible? The baby was gone, I know because I personally checked, just how could this have happened?” Anna asked in shock.

Narcissa looked at Anna and gave her a smile. “You are the healer. You tell me.” She said.

Anna stiffened for a moment and started to scratch her head thinking. “I don’t know maybe that lightning restarted his heart, but that couldn’t be possible. If anything the boy should still be static if that was the case.” She answered incredulously.

Narcissa looked back at her son at smiled. “Does it matter, my prince is alive and that is all that matters.”

Anna just stared at the child who seemed to defy all the laws of reality. She asked herself just how long that baby was in the fire for, she was trained in the medical arts so she knew she was knocked out cold for at least ten minutes, maybe more. Just how did that boy survive and more incredibly how did he come back to life. She felt annoyed that the questions she asked herself would never be answered.

“Draco.” Narcissa suddenly said.

Anna turned to her. “What?” She asked.

“His name. Just like a dragon, my son himself was born from the flames. He met the fire and made it kneel before him just like any great dragon would.” Narcissa said as she caressed her son. “He will one day fly above and achieve greatness.”

Anna held a neutral face. “It is quite catchy, I have to admit.”

“Draco.” Narcissa said to her son and smiled when he opened his eyes slightly. She was correct, her son’s eyes were beautiful. He suddenly started crying again and soon fell asleep.

Narcissa held Draco close to her and relaxed when she heard his soft breaths on her. “You should go to sleep Anna, I think I’ll lie here on the ground with Draco for some more time.” Narcissa told Anna.

Anna shrugged her shoulders and walked away. Before she left the room she took one last look at the mysterious boy and left the room.

**(Unknown)**

I woke up feeling ragged and sore. I breathed deeply and cried out. My body felt alien and I could not describe it for the life of me. For a time I felt cold, then suddenly I felt warmth and heat. It was very soothing. I don’t know how long I laid on the ground, but I was suddenly thrust in the air and I began to breathe heavily.

I fought against the urge to fall into unconsciousness with all my might. Every breath I took felt pained and I do not know why I cried out. I tried opening my eyes, but I could only make out outlines of light. It hurt to look for more than a few seconds.

I reached my limit, I was falling back into unconsciousness. Suddenly I heard someone. “Draco.” The figure of light said. Wait, what? I breathed heavily and tried to move, but I was quickly running out of energy, the last thing I saw and felt was the figure of light gripping me tight. Soon everything turned to oblivion.


	2. New Beginnings

I had thoughts and visions of a vortex composed of fire, spinning around a grassy open field and yet the luscious greenery did not burn as the inferno passed. I could not comprehend what I was seeing or even that I was viewing something outlandish, at the moment everything seemed natural. The fiery vortex was beginning to falter and cracks in the flame revealed a small oval like shape being concealed and protected by the flames. In the distance, thunder could be heard and as the sound cracked so did the strange oval like object. I heard a cry and I was blasted from my sleepy plane.

I awoke and felt breathless. I felt weak and paralyzed, for my limbs were too heavy for me to open, but the most frightening experience that I felt was the fact that my eyes also refused to open for me. I have experienced sleep paralysis before so that is what I first thought had happened to me, but then I was assaulted with memories of the fact that some stranger of light towered over me, what seemed like only moments beforehand.

I lay there on the surface of something soft for what felt like ages. I slipped in and out of unconsciousness for what I learned was hours at a time. Sometimes I felt a presence taking hold of me and my stomach which I never realized was hungry felt soothed soon after. This process took place over the course of months and I only really learned of the ramifications of my situation once I learned how to open my eyes again and gain some sort of resistance to the light.

When I learned that I was a baby again, I actually cried, not as a baby, but literally in my adult mind as well. It took my new mother, Narcissa and her caretaker Anna days to calm me down. They seemed to give up after the first few days and slipped some sort of liquid into my milk and I felt oddly calm even though I felt I shouldn’t be. There was a lot of very familiar things that seemed like I had knowledge of when I shouldn’t have had any, for one my mother’s name as well as the name they occasionally called me was ringing bells in my head, but I couldn’t place my finger on where they belonged, though it was on the tip of my tongue.

The most embarrassing part of growing up again was that I had to soil my wrappings and get inspected by Anna every couple of hours. Speaking of that woman, she always had an eye on me, always watching to see if I was going to do something. I had no idea what she expected out of a little kid, but hey to each their own.

Something interesting started to occur when I was starting to learn how to speak again. I have been trying to speak again ever since I realized I was a child, but until I was two years old, I could not physically move the muscles in my face and throat to produce cohesive words. When I was about eighteen months, I could make sounds that sounded like words, but it was too embarrassing so I decided to wait till I could at least sound like I still spoke a modicum of English.

As I was saying though, when I was about two and a half years old, Anna came in with a strange stick in her hands. I thought that perhaps she was about to garden or something else, but when a light shot out of her stick and the room started to clean itself, I was shocked beyond my mind. I lay dumbfounded for what seemed like hours, but in reality was only a few minutes. When Anna noticed my shock she smiled at me and opened her mouth to converse.

“Young Draco, you like what you just saw there?” She asked while smiling.

“What was that just now Anna?” I asked.

She looked at me mysteriously. “Magic.” She said and after a few moments of no reaction from me, her shoulders slumped and she straightened her back and took on a more serious expression. “Well, you’re no fun at all, usually when kids hear something like magic they start jumping up and down in joy.” She pouted.

“Will you get to the point sometime today, or will I have to book an appointment sometime in the near future for you to collect your thoughts.” I said sarcastically.

I could read the expression on Anna’s face, she was thinking something along the line of ‘this little shit’, or something like that. It’s pretty funny and even though she never admits it, I think she enjoys our little back and forth conversations. “Well Draco, I was going to tease you for a bit, but I actually have duties to perform, believe it or not, so I’ll give you the small version of magic.”

I waited and soon I felt a tick on my forehead. “Well, so what is it?” I asked impatiently.

She gave me a shit-eating grin. “Why one would usually ask nicely before requesting information.” She said with sass.

I started rubbing my temples, then had an idea. I walked over to a jade vase and grabbed hold of it. She gave me a questioning gaze and I greeted her with my own shit-eating grin. “Talk…or else I’ll drop the vase and say you did it.”

She clutched her chest and gave me a scandalous look. “You…you are really a Slytherin at heart you know that, ok fine magic is something we wizards and witches are able to use and control to bend reality to achieve feats that would be incredible and sometimes impossible for others.” She explained.

When I heard Slytherin, I nearly slapped myself. It suddenly all clicked together and when I realized just who I was, I was shocked and my grasp on the vase faltered. It dropped to the ground and Anna and I stared at one another for a minute.

She soon pointed her wand at the vase. “Reparo.” She muttered.

I watched in amazement as the shards flew in the air and quite literally rebuilt itself. I actually thought it might’ve looked better than before. Soon a thought rushed to my head. “Hey wait a second! Don’t tell me you could’ve done that all along.” I yelled kind of embarrassed.

She gave me a smirk. “Maybe.” She said.

I puffed up my cheeks. “Then why did you look so shocked when I threatened to drop it.” I asked.

She started laughing. “For my own amusement of course. I really wanted to see the look on your face if you dropped it and I instantly repaired it. I actually thought we would’ve started some sort of cycle of you continuing to break things and I repair them instantly. I would’ve paid to see the look of frustration on your face.” She said while wiping a tear.

My face turned red and I turned around in childish anger and I began to ignore her. She left, but the fact that I was the Draco Malfoy was shocking to say the least. I decided then and there that I was not going to be the pompous prick that Draco Malfoy was and was going to be much more than some sad character.

The months rolled by and soon turned to years. I would always ask about magic and my parents would always supply me with any knowledge that I desired, but told me to wait until my fifth birthday to attempt to do any magic myself. When I was about three years old, my mother was attempting to feed me some disgusting mashed food that I did not want to eat and something funny happened. The food started floating and soon the plate turned upside down and fell on top of my mother. She looked happy that I performed magic, but I could see she was pretty pissed off that her clothes got ruined, even though she cast a spell and cleaned herself in seconds. Over the months more and more minor feats of magic occurred from me, although most of the time it was levitating objects.

I asked my father why whenever I seemed to do any magic, why would it always float, and he simply told me that levitation was the most common accidental magic that was cast by children, oftentimes cast subconsciously by a wizard or witch when they wanted to reach something like cookies that were too high up and their desire sent out magic to reach it for them.

When he explained that to me I was ecstatic. I would always try to reach out with my magic to try to lift objects off the ground. When my father found out what I was doing, he started laughing and told me to wait until I was a bit older to start attempting wandless magic and if I waited until I was six he could supply me with some of the family’s wands to practice a bit.

I really wanted to perform wandless magic and I knew for a fact that it wasn’t necessarily some godlike ability some people made it out to be. For one, the African school of Uagadou, taught almost exclusively wandless magic and more incredibly, wandless transfiguration magic, something which many people agree to be the most difficult school of magic. In Europe, wands existed and were used for years simply because it made everything easier and more powerful. Do not get me wrong, magic without a wand is most likely not as effective and would probably tire you out quickly, but still, it can be done. Think about this, why ride a bike when you can instead drive a car. They both take you to your destination, but the car is obviously faster.

I particularly chose levitation as that was the magic that Grindelwald could perform wandlessly and it made him a living god to some people. It also was probably one of the simpler magic spells that could be cast. 

For months I tried to lift anything with my mind but failed to so. Whenever something floated it was because I was not aware of it, I tried to lift objects with emotions, but it still did not work. I decided to try at least once a day to lift anything, but wait until I was six and tried using a wand for the first time to expect any results.

For my fifth birthday, I received something that put a smile on my face. My parents had gifted me a toy broomstick.

“Thanks, guys! I cannot believe that you guys got me a broom.” I shouted while jumping up and down in anticipation.

My mother chuckled. “Well you have been quite a good little boy lately and we decided it was time for you to truly take to the skies…well at least to the ceiling of your room.” She grinned.

“Can I try it out now?” I asked ignoring her.

She smiled and looked at my father and he only started laughing. “Sure why not. It’s not like that broom is going to be used to collect dust, so no use wasting it.” He said

My mom smiled and nodded at me. “After dinner though. Anna was gracious enough to make you a cake, so let us go and fill our bellies full.”

My parents started laughing when I ran to the kitchen and started to gorge down my meal. After no more than two minutes I ran back to the living room and proceeded to rip the broom right out of my mother’s grasp.

“Give me, give me.” I demanded impatiently. Apparently experiencing childhood for a second time caused some childish traits to make their way back into my personality.

My mother started to laugh. “Alright, here you go.” She said while giving me the broom. I greedily took it and then a brief stern expression marred her face. “I hope I do not have to tell you to be careful while on that thing. I swear all young boys just try to jump in the face of danger like it is some kind of adventure, there will be none of that here, you hear me, young man.” She nagged while waving her finger at me.

I rolled my eyes. “Yes mother, I will not do anything stupid, what do you take me for…a Weasley?” I asked sarcastically and my father nearly choked on his drink while laughing.

My mother looked over at my father and he gave her a shrug. “What? The boy has got some pretty good humour, you can at least give him that much.” He defended himself.

My mother shook her head in resignation and told me to try the broom out. “Now Draco, all you need to do is take hold of the broom and it’ll automatically sense your intent to lift off the ground.” She explained.

“What do you mean mother? Do you not have to use any magic or direct any magic towards the broom for it to take off?” I asked confused.

My dad chuckled. “You see son, the toy broom is just that, a toy. Normally with regular brooms, you would need to use a burst of magic to unlock the enchantments of the wood. Yes before you ask, the enchantments such as the ones that help you fly are on the broom itself, you would just have to be able to use magic, in general, to be able to use them. Now before when I said a burst of magic was required, I was a little wrong in my words. What actually happens is that the broom when it comes into contact with you will automatically use a little shred of magic to unlock the enchantments and make them active. Truthfully the magic required is so minuscule that you wouldn’t even realize it was being used up. What this means is that you could probably fly all day long and not get exhausted, well at least not magically. I would imagine that you would probably feel quite physically tired after a few hours of spinning in the air.” He explained.

My mother smiled at him and nodded towards me. “What your father said is correct Draco. With regular brooms, you would need some sort of magic to activate it, but in this case, a toy broom doesn’t actually require magic to activate it, or if it does then we cannot track it.” She said.

Something clicked in my head. “Hey wait a second, if it does not require any magic would it not fall under the banned items of the muggles misuse department. I mean technically speaking wouldn’t a muggle also be able to use the broom in that case.”

My father frowned for a bit at the mention of muggles. “Well, in this case, that ridiculous farce of wasted resources you call a department would never be able to something like that. For one, toy brooms have been around ever since the first brooms were being created, it is literally tradition for parents to help teach their children to fly with them. Also other than possibly thousands of parents rebelling against the government for such a decision, the toy brooms these days have muggle-repelling charms placed on them. They wouldn’t be able to look at it, much less pick one up.” He smugly explained.

That…sort of made sense in a way. “So wait, these toys are actually training tools?” I asked incredulously.

My mother spoke up. “Yes, they are. You see the whole point for the toy broom is to get the child used to the feeling of riding a broom and the feeling of levitating in the air, so when they ride a real broom they wouldn’t freak out. It is also to help curb a fear of heights when a child is young so it doesn’t develop into adulthood. In this case, you could only fly a few feet in the air, but that does not mean that it still isn’t incredibly fun.” She smiled.

I looked at both my parents and smiled at them. This was going to be the start of a very fun hobby I think. “Alright! I’m going to get started, do I just sit on the broom and wish for it to fly?” I asked.

My mother smiled and nodded. “Just put the broom between your legs and grip it tight and think of the broom taking off the ground.” She said.

I nodded at her and proceeded to clutch the broomstick between my legs. I grasped the end of the stick with both my hands firmly on it and took a deep breath. I imagined the broom floating in the air and was momentarily surprised when I began to rise. I had a flushed expression on my face and looked at my parents and they were amused at my expression, I smiled at that.

For some reason, I just felt natural in the air. For the first few moments, my stomach felt fluttery, just like when you’re on a rollercoaster and it is still climbing slowly for the first drop. Speaking of rollercoasters, I was kind of an enthusiast when it came to them, so that might explain why I felt so alive in the air, I felt like I was born for this moment.

After a few moments, I reached near the ceiling in the room and just decided to go wild. I could hear my mother screaming in the background, but I did not care. I started looping around and spinning in the air, making rapid turns whenever I reached a wall. I think turning at the last second is what made my mother anxious and after half an hour she essentially ordered me to stop my antics and ground myself and the broom.

When I reached the ground she admonished me for my behaviour and told me to be more careful, but I could only think of the wondrous feeling of being airborne. I cannot explain the feeling, but I felt like I was supposed to fly like it was in my DNA. After an hour-long rant, she grounded me and told me that my broom privileges would be suspended for a month.

After I left the room to go to bed, I overheard a conversation between my parents. “Honestly Lucius, I have no idea what we are going to do with that troublesome boy.” She told him worriedly.

My father started laughing. “Honey, he’s a boy what did you expect. You saw danger, you know what I saw?” When my mother blankly stared at my father he continued. “A future quidditch champion. Perhaps if he were to get drafted, England would finally have a chance at the title for a change.” He said smugly.

I smiled at that notion and decided to leave before my mother restarted her rant towards my father.

Despite my grounding, I would always sneak out in the night to try out my broom and fly for at least an hour every night. I think Anna knew about my extra-curricular activities, but I do not think she ratted me out since my mother never showed up during my sessions. The months passed by and day by day I was gaining more knowledge of magic.

I guess you could say that I was blessed in having being born into a pureblood family as they were very well off and boasted quite a huge library full of magical tomes. The most interesting thing happened as I turned six years old as every day since I was four years old, I would attempt to lift objects with my mind. When I read in a book that it would help to visualize an aura being extended from my body and lifting the object up like an invisible third hand, it was finally the step that broke the wall guarding levitation. At first, I could only lift up a few specks of dust, but after a month on concentrating, I could successfully lift a button into the air and sustain the feat for quite a while.

One time Anna walked into my room while I was practicing levitation. It was quite comical, to say the least.

“Urgghh.” I said while in frustration. I imagined an imaginary hand lifting the button and after straining my face, the button started to lift off the ground. “Hahhh.” I breathed out. That was quite difficult, much harder to do consciously than subconsciously. I watched in amazement as I flexed my fingers and the button started dancing around the room. I made it spin and do tricks in the air. “That’ll never get old.” I said.

The door suddenly opened. “What’ll never…” Anna asked and then she was stumped. I think at first she was in denial. Right before her was a floating button, but to her, it was not possible since the only other occupant in the room was a child who had yet to receive his wand.

She rubbed her eyes and the button disappeared. She turned around and shrieked when it was only inches from her face. “What-what the hell is going on in here?!” She pointed at me and narrowed her eyes. “Don’t tell me you had something to do with this madness.” She asked.

I looked innocently at her and folded my arms behind me. “What, little ole me? I think you’re highly exaggerating, besides what are you talking about?” I asked while whistling.

She narrowed her eyes further and pointed behind her. “Don’t get smart with me young man, I’m talking about…” She turned around and the button that was flying only seconds before laid on the table before her.

I smirked. “As you were saying?” I asked her smugly.

“What, I, I swear I just saw…” She sputtered out incredulously.

“Seeing things at your age Anna? I can’t say I’m too surprised, perhaps an afternoon nap would serve you well in your old age.” I said with some sass.

“Why you little…” She began but restrained herself. “I’ll have you know I’m only twenty-eight thank you very much.” She huffed. “I swear kids these days are becoming much too bold, especially you young Draco, some humility would serve you well.” She huffed and marched out of the room with a flushed face.

As soon as she left I burst out in laughter and rolled on the ground laughing. After that day whenever Anna didn’t realize I was in the room, I would levitate small objects whenever she was distracted. I think it got to a point where she was so paranoid of random objects flying around her, she called a medic to see if she was cursed in any way.

I had to hold myself back when the medic arrived and waited hours for anything to float and asked her if she was alright mentally after being frustrated hours later. I decided after that visit to take it easy on Anna for a while, but at least a positive thing occurred during the whole ordeal, my levitation could be cast on small objects with almost no effort now. Although I could still only lift one thing at a time. I don’t think I’ve ever had so much fun in either my lives.

I was turning seven years old soon. When I turned six, my father let me try out some wands, but all the ones he had did not work for me. When I was worried he told me not to be. He explained how it was difficult to be able to make a wand that was not bonded to you work. When a wizard was older they could make most wands respond to them with force, but there would always be some that would only obey their true masters. He told me not to fret and that when I turned eight years old, we would all go out and buy a wand together.

When I asked him why we could not buy it earlier he told me that there was a law in place that prevented anyone from purchasing a wand before the age of eight. Technically when you received the wand you weren’t allowed to use it till you were ten years old, but they made an exception for pureblood families as they could home-school the child till he was of age to attend a wizarding school.

My seventh year passed by in relative peace, then about a week before my eighth birthday arrived, I saw a familiar figure. I saw Dobby the house-elf and we were both alone. I knew then and there that fate brought this moment to the light and something was about to occur from our soon to be interaction.


	3. Revelations

I looked on in sheer fascination at the little creature that was known simply for his bravery. Some may view Dobby to have been selfish in his desires and methods, but can you really fault him? All he truly wanted was to walk free amongst the rest of us and not be shunned for it. He had the right to stand up for what he believed in…even if that was to eventually go against the very family that I now am a part of.

I watched on as the little elf cleaned the floor with a mop. I asked myself, why would a house-elf not use their magic when attending to their duties, then I realized that it was probably some punishment my father placed on little Dobby here for not doing something or failing at his duties, or simply because my father would like someone to kneel and get dirty while he stands tall. I shrugged and was about to speak up, but when I moved forward the floor groaned for but a second and the sound signalled the house-elf towards my presence.

Dobby quickly turned around and gasped when his eyes came upon my youthful form, the momentary surprise was apparently too much for the elf and he dropped his cleaning utensil towards the ground. For about a few moments there was an echoed silence followed by the occasional clacking sounds the grounded mop provided. His eyes widened like saucers and he backed up slowly towards the wall behind him.

I followed slowly in pursuit. I decided that he might’ve gotten frightened at my sudden appearance, so I might’ve had to calm him down. I stopped my steps and attempted to look as unintimidating as possible. “Hello there. I’m sorry to have given you a little jump there, but who are you? If you don’t mind me asking that is.” I asked softly.

He started sputtering incoherently. Finally, something coherent passed his lips. “You-you shouldn’t have come here…I should not have been seen. Master…oh dear, why is Dobby so stupid?!” Dobby said frantically while turning his head rapidly. His eyes roamed the surrounding area, possibly to ensure he was not seen by another. I could see little tremors resonating throughout his little form.

‘Why is he so worried?’ I thought to myself. Was Dobby’s existence to have been kept a secret or something? My eyes glazed over the little elf and noticed that Dobby was sweating profusely. I could see little red bumps on his sickly skin and the source seemed to have been his very own nails, scratching himself in a way to release some inner tension.

I decided to figure out why Dobby was so worried. I cleared my throat which caught his attention. “Look, I do not know why you are so worried? If you are afraid that I’m going to hurt you, let me assure you that I will not hurt you.” I said calmly, gazing intensely at Dobby.

He opened and closed his mouth a few times as if he was in doubt, but he soon settled for conversation. “Dobby must not have been seen…young master should not have seen Dobby.” He let out worriedly.

I narrowed my eyes. “Why? Why must I have not seen you Dobby? What is the purpose of hiding your presence from a mere child? Dobby, who gave these orders to you?” I asked him slowly.

His eyes widened incredulously. He obviously thought he let out something he should not have. “Dobby…no…why must Dobby say such stupid things.” He sputtered out. He began to slap himself, but the hand he launched never reached its destination. He opened his eyes in disbelief when the expected pain never came and saw his own limp being grasped by my own.

“Listen Dobby, I told you I wouldn’t hurt you, thankfully for you that also means ensuring that no harm is inflicted on your person while I stand guard. That also means protecting you from yourself.” I informed him seriously.

I let go of his appendage and watched him carefully. He rubbed his arm as if to sooth it of its aches. His eyes were downcast. I decided to speak up once again. I approached his small form and placed an arm on his shoulder and when he lifted his head, I greeted his face with a warm expression. “Listen Dobby, I know you may not wish to speak of whatever you are concealing from me, but I must know the truth.” I told him.

He hesitated, but let some information slip from him. “Dobby can’t young master, Dobby just cannot betray the orders of his master.” He said while looking sullen.

I looked at him concerned. “Dobby answer me this, is it my father that is the master you speak of?” I asked and he widened his eyes. “I have met all of my mother’s elves and they had no issue meeting with me. The only possible explanation would be that you are in the service of my father.” I pointed out.

He looked incredulous for a moment. “Dobby carries the shame of master’s family, he cannot be seen by such innocence.” He said sadly.

I looked at him. “Dobby, listen to me, you may be compelled to withhold certain secrets from outsiders, but know this, I am a member of the family that you serve…at least in name if not in your heart, so you shall treat me as such. Now reveal to me which you keep closely guarded.” I said clearly.

His shoulders slumped, a sign that I had been victorious in my argument. “Dobby is the personal slave of the young master’s father. Dobby is responsible for sick things that should not be revealed. Dobby’s only reward for following his master’s nefarious plots is humiliation. Dobby is to do what he is told and nothing more. Once the task at hand is complete, Dobby should disappear for no one should gaze at such a wretched creature.” He said shakily.

I stood in disbelief. I knew my father was not necessarily a good man. Although he was not necessarily a bad man either. He was a Slytherin through and through. I always had a feeling that Lucius joined the death eaters simply because it was convenient and because it would help stabilize his position of power. Lucius simply wants to be on what he views as the winning side. As soon as Voldemort ‘died’, he immediately switched sides like a snake. I knew he was not that nice of a man to other people and especially to other species, but for the life of me, I just could not put it in me to hate the very man that raised me. He helped me every time I asked for help and stood by me every step of the way. He never pushed any of his bias or hatred onto me, not even once. He never raised a finger against me, hell he did not even raise his voice at me once. I just could not help, but feel compelled to develop feelings of compassion and love for my father. A sniff broke my thoughts.

My eyes travelled and met Dobby’s own. He was crying. I could see that he was trying to hold his pain inside, but as he let a little out, the rest seemed to pour out of him like a flood. “Dobby, it’ll be alright.” I said compassionately.

“How? Dobby’s *hic* sorry that Dobby *hic* asked that of you. But *hic* how can Dobby be ok.” He let out.

I stared at him for a few moments and brought myself close to him. “Shhhh it’ll be ok, I promise.” I said soothingly while rubbing his shoulders.

After a few moments he calmed down and we both stood up. “Dobby is sorry for unleashing his misery upon you young master, it was not Dobby’s intention.” He said worriedly.

I waved his concern away. “Bah, it is no problem Dobby. Listen I will keep your secret, but know this Dobby, you cannot be alone in this world. It is a cruel thing to be left without some kind of companion and positive contact. I offer you this Dobby, be my friend and I shall help you in your endeavours and those to come.”

Dobby looked thunderstruck. “What…young master can’t, should not associate with a lowly being like Dobby.” He let out aghast.

I stared at him intensely. “Look Dobby I do not look down on any race as if they were lesser than my own, I would not look down upon you for your heritage. I promise to only judge you based upon your actions.” I said brokering no argument.

His eyes raced around the room, then looked back at me. “But…but what about master, surely he would contest to such companionship between his son and slave. Also, Dobby’s actions have not been entirely pure.”

I met his eyes directly. “As I said, it doesn’t matter what my father says about a sort of friendship between us Dobby, but for your sake, I will make sure he does not know that we have met and would continue to meet. As for your past mistakes, forget about them, unless you have done something nefarious on your own accord or have placed my family in some sort of danger, I will hear none of it.” I let out.

He looked at me in shock and soon his eyes began to water as if onions were placed beneath him. “Such kindness young master, Dobby does not deserve such a thing.” He cried out.

I smiled at him. “No Dobby, I know you are a good person at heart.” I told him. “Look, I need to get going now and you’ll need to get back to fulfilling your duties before my father catches wind of this momentary lapse in your work ethic.” I said.

I nodded at him and began to clear from the hallway. “…Goodbye, kind master…” Dobby let out softly.

I looked back for but a moment. “Goodbye…friend.” I told him and continued to walk forward as I heard distant sniveling in the background.

I walked and did not stop till I was safely in the confines of my own chamber. I trod across the room and decided to rest my weary body on the comfy, cushiony contraption known to me as a bed. As my head landed on pillows, easing physical tension, internal mental tension still remained. I ran my fingers through my hair and decided to digest all the information that was dumped upon me like an icy bucket of water.

I sighed deeply. “Where do I begin?” I asked myself. “The part where my father might be abusive towards his subjects, or the part that I somehow forgot about trying to find Dobby. I mean when I first figured out that I was Draco, he did momentarily cross my mind, but his significance was much more implanted into the future than at that moment. I did try to look for him when I met my mother’s servants, but he was not among them. I had assumed that maybe he would’ve gotten hired later on and replace one of my mother’s elves, but I guess it kind of makes sense in a way that he was always here. My father probably uses Dobby for political purposes such as spying on his fellow Wizengamot members to dig up blackmail so they would support the policies that he implements. Dobby probably has no doubt been part of some more nefarious plots as well, but I think my father has probably distanced himself from the more evil aspects in life. It makes sense why he would want nobody to realize that Dobby exists and the reason is that he wouldn’t anyone to connect Dobby to him because if they did he would most likely be indicted.” I analyzed.

I shook my head in resignation. I looked at my window and noticed that night was fast approaching. I walked over towards the large wall-sized window that dominated the majority of my room and decided to take in the peaceful rays of moonlight. Whenever I looked at the moonlight I felt oddly calm. After a few moments, I decided to disrobe and prepare to meet with the sandman. As I slipped out of my robes, something fell out of one of my pockets. In my peripheral vision, I could make out a small weightless object floating towards the ground. I did not remember placing anything in my robe, so the action was quite a surprise to me.

I bent my knees towards the ground to give me a better magnification of the item. It was a strange leaf. It was very odd for a leaf to have been amongst me simply because I did not go outside my house for three days now, as I was studying magic. I could only remember one moment of foreign contact that was recent. ‘Dobby.’ I thought. He must’ve dropped it into my pocket accidentally when I was consoling him. I cannot return this leaf to him now, but I can after a few days. I guess I can keep it on me as I sleep, so I remember about the leaf.

I made my decision and soon made my way towards the vehicle that would transport me to the sleepy plane. I laid in the bed with the leaf over my chest and let the sandman take me for the night. That night I dreamt of something that reoccurred in most of my dreams, fire. For years now I would always dream of fire burning a grassy meadow and it would always end before I could see anything more. When the first dream happened I was confused, but when it kept on replaying constantly, I became worried. What did the dream mean? Was it a vision of something to come? These were questions I had asked myself time and again. This very night, however, something more happened. Instead of a black oval cracking, the inferno did not stop and soon came upon a tree in the distance. The vortex engulfed the wood and it burst into flames. I was shot out when the first barrage of screams were heard from the tree.

I shot up in a gasp. My breathing was ragged and my body was caked in sweat. This dream seemed to be stronger than all the rest. Never once have I been booted from my slumber from the vision. Something was different, but I could not place my finger on it. I walked over towards my cupboard and grabbed a flask within. The concoction was given to me by my mother when she first heard of my dreams, it granted you a sleep without any visions. I had yet to use it, but seeing my hands tremoring slightly while grasping the bottle solidified my resolve and I downed the potion. I was granted a shadowy slumber.

I awoke to the glittering rays of sunlight. I thanked the potion silently for its effectiveness. I decided to ponder the meaning of the dream later on, as very soon it was to be my eighth birthday, a day which would herald a significant change in my magical education. After my birthday I would receive my very own wand and truly begin my journey in the mystic arts.

Before I left, I noticed a green leaf on my bed. For a moment I was confused, then soon after I realized that I would need to return the leaf to its owner. It was doubtful that I would come across the house-elf today, but I would rather be prepared if I did face him today. I slipped the leaf into my pocket and made my way to the breakfast hall.

I was soon greeted by the warm smiles of my parents. “It’s almost time Draco, I can only imagine how excited you must be.” My mom said excitedly.

My father took a sip of his tea. “Hush dear, he’ll probably stay up all week if you keep reminding him of the special day to come.” My father told her while smirking.

A smiled graced my features. “Ah you are right guys, I can hardly sleep as it is.” I let out a half-truth. I wouldn’t worry my parents from having a nightmare, how childish would that be? “I still can’t believe the day that I, Draco Malfoy, shall wield a wand has almost arrived. Just imagine how much more I can do with a wand.” I said with starry expression in my eyes.

“Yes…how much more you can do.” Anna drawled out. I looked over to her and smirked. Ever since I’ve stopped my constant assault on her sanity, she has grown much too bold. Perhaps a prank or two will liven her up a bit. ‘Hmm perhaps her toothbrush shall fly away from her this time, just imagine how funny a cranky Anna running after a toothbrush when she has yet to finish her morning ritual would be.’ I thought which caused my smirk to deepen. This only served to make Anna more suspicious. “What are you up to?” She asked while narrowing her eyes.

I began to chuckle. “Nothing really Anna, all good things happen to those who wait for them.” I told her mysteriously.

She eyed me warily. “I’ve got my eye on you young Draco, so do not try anything funny.” She declared.

I looked over to my parents and they looked amused. They would sometimes give me tips on how to use politics in everyday life and really approved of the constant spats between Anna and I. They called it training for the future, as it is better to know how to debate and have fun doing it while you are still young.

After breaking my fast with my family, I headed towards my study to once again begin my training. As I sat down on the desk, the torches beside the table lit themselves. It was a neat enchantment that served me well. After half an hour, a crack was heard in the room. The sudden noise caused me to unbalance myself and I crashed into the torch beside me.

I quickly freed myself and rolled away from the grounded flame, but as I kicked away, my hand touched the fire directly, or so it seemed to me. For a moment I was in denial, the expected sting of a burn never came. I turned my hand over and gazed at my palm. It was free of any scorch marks or any blemishes. That was extremely odd to me as I had sworn I had seen my hand come into contact with the flames. I guess maybe I was lucky enough to evade the flames somehow. I had no more time to ponder on what had just happened as the source of the original noise spoke.

“Dobby is so stupid! Why must everything Dobby does end in misfortune.” Dobby cried out while smacking his head against the wall.

So it was Dobby that made the noise. I guess that crack was him apparating into the study. I studied him closely and realized he had probably come to test if I really meant what I declared to him earlier. “Dobby it’s alright. You can stop hitting yourself now, it wasn’t really your fault that I knocked the torch to the ground and stumbled after it.” I said and he ceased his self-assault. I showed him my arms and palms. “See there is no burn that mars my skin. Since there is no injury, there is no point in punishing yourself over an accident that was not detrimental to the victim.” I told him seriously.

Dobby looked on in quiet. I decided to change the topic before everyone got more uncomfortable. “So Dobby, what brings you here to me today?” I asked of him.

He stumbled a little bit when I spoke up like he forgot his original purpose in confronting me. “Ah…well you know, young master did tell Dobby that he should interact with other people…so Dobby thought.” He said quietly.

I smiled. “Yes, Dobby you were correct. I did tell you that you could meet with me, although for your safety, next time maybe wait until the night and even then be careful in meeting me, for we need to keep this contact a secret. Perhaps when you are done your duties for the night you can meet me in my chamber and we can just talk about life, magic or anything really.” I told him.

He looked sheepish. “…Yes, Dobby shall keep that in mind, sir.” He said while blushing slightly in embarrassment.

I looked at him. “Also, you don’t have to address me as sir or master, Draco will do just fine, thank you very much.” I told him seriously.

He looked scandalous. “Certainly not master! Dobby wouldn’t dream of addressing his betters as anything else.” He cried out aghast.

I sighed and rubbed my temples. Clearly this was an argument for another time. “Alright Dobby as you wish, but let us get to the topic at hand here, did you need something?” I asked.

He greeted me with a curious expression and suddenly I remembered that I had something I needed to give to Dobby. “Hey, Dobby.” I said while pulling out the leaf from my pocket. “Is this leaf yours by any chance? I mean from what I remember I could only have gotten it from you.” I asked.

I passed the leaf over to Dobby and he began examining the leaf before him. I got impatient as the minutes passed by. “Well?” I asked.

He stared at me. “…The leaf does not belong to Dobby. I cannot say where the young master has received such a valuable gift from.” He informed me.

“Wait, what? Dobby what are you talking about being valuable. That is just a leaf, I mean it is pretty weird, but it still is a leaf after all.” I asked incredulously.

He was silent for a few moments but then decided to speak his mind. “This is no ordinary leaf young master, you as a wizard in training should be aware of that.” He admonished. “This here is a very special leaf of a very rare plant indeed.” He said.

I looked confused and stared at the leaf. “Is it really? Is it magical in some way Dobby and for the love of all things good in this world, please tell me what it actually is.” I asked fascinated.

He granted me a toothy smile. “It is magical in nature and a treasure to some. Dobby does not know how young master came across such an incredible thing, but in your hands, you hold the leaf of a mandrake plant.” He revealed.

I stood back shocked. “What? Are you serious?” I asked while gazing intently at the leaf held in my grasp.

He smiled. “It is. Dobby is sure of it, Dobby remembers many things in his life and the mandrake plant is one thing Dobby will never forget.” He said and I winced when I remembered how annoying mandrake plants could be.

I stared at the leaf and subconsciously held it closer to myself. I heard someone clearing their throat. “Well young master, Dobby can only say that you were extremely fortunate in finding that leaf, Dobby can only tell you a few wise words…guard that leaf like a treasure because it was probably no coincidence in you coming to possess it.” He said

I opened my mouth agape. “Dobby…I.” I soon was soon cut off by sounds outside the room.

Dobby frowned. “Keep it safe, we shall meet again soon young master. Goodbye.” He said and apparated away just in time as the door flung open.

“Ah Draco, what are you still doing here? You should be helping your mother prepare for your birthday.” My father said.

I quickly stood up and slid the leaf into my pocket. “For sure father. I will be out in just a second.” I said.

He looked at me oddly and nodded. “Alright son, hopefully the party will actually be fun this time around.” He joked and left.

When the door closed I sighed. “This week just keeps on getting weirder by the second.” I said and soon rushed out the door.

The day soon passed and the party soon came. I was currently dressed in the finest acromantula silk robes that I owned and as I was walking towards the ballroom, I sighed at the possible amount of guests that would undoubtedly be thrown at me this year. When you were the future head of one of the oldest and most powerful families, people tend to try to worm their way into your circle.

I touched the doorknob and sighed one last time. I pushed it open and was awarded music and people dancing. Even though this was a children’s birthday, most of the guests here were adults and they seemed to dance around my father like monkeys at a circus. I shook my head in resignation and decided to go towards the punch.

As I poured myself a drink, I noticed a few presences nearing me. I looked out of the corner of my eyes and when I saw who decided to grace me with their presence, I sighed deeply. “Hello there sir. Care for a second glass of punch, I can pour it for you if you want.” Crabbe chattered.

I rubbed my temples, this was going to be a long night. “Listen Crabbe…oh to hell with it! Vincent how many times do I have to tell you not to call me sir, for Merlin’s sake, we’re the same age.” I said with just a little too much passion.

He stood agape. Goyle looked outright scandalous. “Don’t Crabbe, it’s a trick!” The creature known only as Goyle shouted. When I gave him a glare he became sheepish. “I-I mean…I think my father said something about tests and all that. Right?” He said like he uncovered some big mystery.

I smiled at him. “You’re right Goyle, you’re a bloody genius.” I told him.

He blinked rapidly and looked at Crabbe for a moment, then back at me. He straightened up and looked oddly smug. “Really now? I’m not surprised, father always did tell me that I was the brains of the family.” He stated proudly.

I looked at him in mild disgust. I can only imagine how challenged the rest of his family may be if he is the ‘brains’ of his family.

He faltered when he met my glare. “No, you idiot. Why would you think that an eight-year-old would play some elaborate game of politics with other eight-year-olds? Listen, Gregory…” I said while looking at Goyle. I turned my head and faced Crabbe as well. “And you too Crabbe. The both of you do not have to and should not have to play as your parents' puppets in order to gain my affection. If you want to be my companions or friends, you should do it of your own accord.” I told them seriously.

They both started sputtering incoherently. “No sir, I mean mister Malfoy sir, we did not mean any harm…” Crabbe said worriedly.

“We would die for the chance to be your friends. We would travel across the seven hells to even spend a second with you. I would lick your spit off the ground…” Goyle groveled.

I held up a hand to put a stop to his ridiculous claims. “Alright, that is enough.” I sighed deeply and took a deep sip of my beverage. When it lacked a certain kick that I was familiar to in a past life, I sighed even further. “Would it kill these guys to serve something a little stronger? Even butterbeer would suffice at this point.” I said to no one in particular.

“Well said.” A deep voice said behind me.

We all turned around as the sudden voice startled all of us. The owner of the voice was a young man. He had silky black hair and smooth white skin. He looked really young except for his eyes, they looked like they had seen hell itself. He also had a big, hooked nose, but for some reason, it just seemed to fit his face, like it belonged. All in all, the man before me was a pretty striking fellow.

“The selection of beverages available to the attendees of this celebration is awfully dull.” The man drawled out.

When we all stood confused he continued. “Have you lot become too enamored with my form to have actually retained the ability to move the muscles in your mouth to produce a modicum of intelligent communication?” He asked sarcastically while rolling his eyes.

Crabbe and Goyle starting speaking incoherently. “What…I-I mean…what?” Crabbe said incredulously.

The man stepped forward and grabbed Crabbe’s glass. He brought it up his face and instead of drinking it, he instead smelled the liquid. “…What are you doing?” Crabbe questioned the man.

He placed the glass on the table and granted Crabbe a narrowed look. “I was simply checking to see if your glass, in particular, was contaminated with a concoction that was much stronger than simple juice. I was checking to see if your drink contained anything extra that would take away one’s mental acuities from them.” He let out and Crabbe faltered under his stare. “Now to my great surprise,” he said sarcastically, “I found nothing that suggests that your drink was altered in any such way. I have proved my earlier hypothesis in declaring that you are a person of feeble mind.” He let out sharply.

Crabbe and Goyle yelped. “Now you two fools run along.” He shooed them away.

As I watched the two stooges run away, I was slightly amused, even though I did not know the man who admonished my so-called minions. “That was quite comical.” I said after a few moments.

He raised a brow. “You would laugh at some injustice being played in front of you by some dark shadowy figure?” He asked sarcastically. “I had thought you would go rushing after those two dunces like a knight in shining armour.”

I rolled my eyes and he started to chuckle. “Ah, it looks like you two have already met.” My father suddenly said. I looked over at him confused, was this another one of his friends that he wanted to introduce me to? “I see you’ve met young Draco here, Severus.” He revealed.

I was thunderstruck. This was Snape? I mean technically Snape was supposed to be around thirty when the story started, so it would make sense that he looked so young. I would imagine that he was around twenty-eight or so right now.

“Yes clearly I have made such an impression on the boy that he is lost for words.” Snape said amused.

I stood agape. My father chuckled at my current state. “Well, Draco I would like you to meet your godfather. You guys have actually met before, but it was when you were but an infant. Today is the day we decided to officially introduce both of you to one another.”

“What?” I questioned.

They burst into laughter. “I mean we did spring this upon the lad so suddenly, it is only natural for him to feel a bit confused. Ah well, Draco enjoy the festivities, Severus and I shall not take up any more of your time.” My father said.

Snape passed me a book. “Here. That is your gift from me, I had heard from your father that you craved knowledge above all else, inside that book contains notes of various advanced recipes and concoctions that I have created or improved during my mastery of potions. Hopefully, it’ll serve you well.” He said seriously and smiled when my eyes widened at the treasure.

“Thank you.” I let out.

He started chuckling and moved on with my father. I sighed, maybe this night wasn’t so bad after all. I heard a bump from the table behind me.

“…Is he gone?” Crabbe asked quietly from underneath the table.

I sighed deeply and started to rub my temples once again. This was going to be a long night.

The next day was an exciting one. Despite the rather long night, I experienced the day before, today was the day when I would finally receive my Excalibur, my very own wand. I rushed my parents out of the manor and soon enough my mother, father and Anna were all walking with me down Diagon Alley.

“I cannot believe the day has finally come.” I said excitedly.

Anna rubbed her temples. “Yes, I also find it hard to believe that the day that you would get even bolder would arrive.” Anna sighed deeply.

I ignored her. I skipped ahead to the shop where I would be able to purchase a wand. My parents laughed at my childish joy and hurried along after me. We soon reached Ollivanders and we settled outside the shop for a second.

My father cleared his throat. “Alright you three go on in then, I have some business to attend to at Gringotts, something about a certain investment opportunity.” My father revealed.

My mother frowned at him but nodded her head. “Alright, we shall meet up with you at the bank later on.” She said.

I could not wait any further and burst right into the building with peeling golden letters. My mother and Anna quickly followed suit. My eyes came upon various messy boxes scattered across the room. The room looked devoid of any life, at least any lifeforms that appreciated cleanliness. A sudden creak was heard and my attention shifted towards its location.

“Ah hello there young child. Now, who are you? No, wait a moment, ebony fourteen inches with a hair of unicorn.” He said while looking at my mother. “Ah yes Narcissa Black, I mean Narcissa Malfoy, I apologize for the momentary lapse, when I recall people it is always how they were when they first purchased their wands.” He explained and then stared at me. “Which means that you are the Malfoy heir, Draco right?” He asked.

I looked weirdly at him. “…Yes…” I said slowly.

He started laughing. “Ha, ha, you no doubt must think I’ve gone mad. Do not worry lad I just possess an eccentric personality.”

I looked back at my mom and I could see that she was rubbing her face. She signaled to me that he was just annoying and not completely mad. I looked back at the wandmaker and decided to get this over with, at least for my own sanity.

“So…sir, I have come here today to be able to purchase a wand. May I browse your current stock?” I asked.

He grinned at me. “Certainly!” He shouted with enthusiasm. He ran into the back and fetched tons of boxes. The rest he levitated using his wand. He waved his wand and started analyzing me. Tapes and measures appeared and measured me. “Ah, why don’t we try this, thirteen inches, oak with a dragon heartstring and rigid.”

He passed me the wand and mud launched out of it coating Ollivander with the slimy disgusting sludge. I burst into laughter, I stopped when I saw his thinned lips. “Ok, maybe not that one…” He stated and snatched the wand before cleaning himself with a spell.

I smirked. “I don’t know, I kind of liked that one.” I said with some cheek.

He glared at me and handed me the next one. “Try this wise guy, twelve inches, ash with unicorn hair and surprisingly swishy.” He said.

I grasped the wand and before I waved it, Ollivander jumped out of the way. I chuckled and gave it a wave. Nothing happened, but a small airy noise was heard. “Perhaps that wand will serve you well.” He joked and passed me another wand.

My cheeks reddened slightly at his jape. I quickly took hold of the other wand. This process continued for over an hour, sometimes I would break something in the shop and the other times the wands would simply do nothing. At the end of it, Ollivander was quite restless.

He breathed deeply. “I have dealt with difficult customers before, but this just takes the cake.” Ollivander let out in frustration.

I sighed in resignation. “Are there any more wands?” I asked.

He sighed and got up. “Yes, there is one last wand, here, ten inches, hawthorn with unicorn hair and straight.” He said and passed me said wand.

I touched the wand and it glowed for a second then made a wet sound. “Is…is that it?” I asked incredulously.

Ollivander did not look amused. “I’m afraid that was the last of my wands lad. I’ve never seen anything like this before.”

I began to protest. “Surely you have some other wand in the back? Maybe you forgot.” I suggested.

He smiled at me sadly. “I wish that were true lad, I really do, but I’m afraid this is the end of the line.” He said.

I fell to the floor, but after a moment a chirp was heard.

“What have you lost your mind, I cannot give that tainted thing to anyone. My reputation would plummet faster than a snidget.” Ollivander exclaimed.

I looked up and was shocked to see a little twig-like creature jumping on top of Ollivander’s head. “What is that?” I asked.

My voice caused their argument to be placed on hold for a moment. Ollivander smiled at me. “This right here is Terry and he is a bowtruckle. They are invaluable for helping locate wand woods, also they help to deter any of the native bowtruckles guarding their trees to become hostile.” He said.

The bowtruckle looked at me and started to chirp. Ollivander smiled. “He likes you. He doesn’t usually come out when anyone else is around. Here why don’t you hold him for a while.” He said and slowly deposited Terry into my palms.

The Bowtruckle felt oddly warm and pleasant to hold. “Aw aren’t you just the sweetest little thing. You’re certainly much cooler than old Ollivander there.” I told him and he cooed.

Ollivander cleared his throat. “Ah yes, well I’m sorry, but there is nothing I can do for you today, maybe on another day I shall have a wand that is more suited towards you.” Ollivander let out.

“Come on! I just heard you talking about some tainted wand earlier. Surely that means that there is still some wand left to try out.” I said trying to convince the old man.

He waved me off. “Bah, that is but a mistake I accidentally created…eight years ago…” He said slowly and began to view me oddly.

“Tell me, boy, when were you born?” He suddenly asked.

“What?” I asked confused.

“The date boy! Tell me when you were bloody brought into this world.” He shouted.

My mother spoke up. “You shall not speak to my son like that, apologize at once!” My mother admonished him.

He looked a bit sheepish but shrugged his embarrassment off. “I apologize for my outburst, but I must know when the child was born.” He answered.

“June fifth, nineteen-eighty. Why?” I said.

His face carried an odd look and he looked at me worriedly. After a minute he wordlessly went to the back and with no witty remarks this time, he was deadly serious. After five minutes he returned with a leathery wrap. He unsheathed the wand and passed it over to me silently.

The wand looked like it was dyed a blackened red, it was bendy and rough. The strange part was that it felt incredibly warm and wet in my grasp and I could feel constant pulses beating through the wand. It felt alive. When my hand grasped the wand a bright light shined throughout the room and I began to levitate in the air. Around me, all the candles in the shop suddenly lit themselves. A fiery aura soon surrounded the wand and we began to dance across the room. It soon escaped from my grasp and flew by itself and we just continued to dance across the room. After ten minutes we both landed and a strange marking appeared on my skin. I looked at the marking and the wand flew back to my hand. I looked around the room and saw its occupants were agape.

I approached Ollivander and a frown marred his face. I thought it was odd, wouldn’t Ollivander be happy that I was successful in finding a wand? I looked over to my mother. She was eyeing me worriedly. I looked over at Anna and noticed she was knocked over from shock. Clearly she was not expecting my wand purchase to have gotten…complicated. No doubt she has seen so many things float in the past, she might’ve doubted this incident of me basically asking my wand to the prom even happened.

The wand pulsed strangely in my grasp. It stretched, bent and twirled around. It was changing colours, turning green and red. Fire seemed to coat the wood, but as I grasped the handle, I felt no heat emitting from the life-like wand. Soon as the fire died out, the stick calmed down and settled in its place. As the show was over, Ollivander strut over to me slowly.

He eyed me wearily. “Boy, do you feel any different, does anything feel wrong both in your body and in your mind? No extra arms or anything? Perhaps you’ve grown an extra toe? Do have any psychotic or aggressive thoughts running around your head. I’ve never seen anything like that in all my years in this business, I can tell you that much. In this business, you see lots of funny things. Sometimes you will see interesting things and very rarely you see amazing things.” He said and paused. He looked at me seriously. “I have never thought that something I thought impossible would happen...and yet here we are.”

I stared at my new favourite foci and back at the grumpy salesman. “I look pretty good…actually screw that!” I shouted. I pointed an accusatory finger at the old man. “I have grown no extra appendages, thank you very much, but I can tell you one thing old man, if you don’t start talking about why you were about to deny me the very vessel that would choose me as its captain, I can tell you some ‘aggressive’ thoughts will soon make its way towards my mind.” I said while gripping my wand tightly.

He looked agape. “I...I do not know. Although it is painful to discuss this particular topic, I’ll make an exception this time around as I doubt you would broker argument.” He dropped to the floor as if the memory he held was too powerful.

“Well, let us hear of this tale.” I said.

His gaze travelled throughout the room and he sighed deeply. He opened a drawer and pulled out a wooden pipe that was made from chestnut. He brought it towards his lips and placed his wand on top of the chamber and he inhaled deeply. The tip of his wand glowed slightly as he pulled, bringing the flames from his wand to light his herbs. He held the breath in for a minute and then released it slowly.

As the smoke danced in the air, he began his tale. “Well, for one thing, Draco, I actually created that wand eight years ago and let me tell you…I created that wand on June fifth, nineteen-eighty.” He let out while eyeing me carefully.

I narrowed my eyes. “My birthday. What exactly are you trying to imply?”

“You know what I’m trying to imply boy! I know you’re thinking that the relationship is purely coincidental and that I am spouting nonsense, but hear me Draco, in the magical world there is no such thing as a coincidence. Things happen for a reason, and sometimes something happens to someone which is only meant to make it so that another person experiences something else. That fact only makes this story even uncomfortable.” He warned me.

“…I’ll keep it in mind.” I said after a while.

He sighed. “It all began a stormy night eight years ago.” He inhaled and exhaled smoke. “Terry and I had just come back from a successful scavenging of a particularly good cedar tree, which I can tell you has been most difficult these days. So many amateurs have started to breed them and almost entirely destroyed quality everywhere.” He trailed off. Clearing my throat helped convince the man to get back on track. “Ah, apologizes, we essentially got the wood, but…but that night while I created that wand I made a mistake and botched the job.” He said slowly.

At my questioning gaze, he continued. “You do not see the significance in that dent in my record? I do not mean to brag, but I have never once botched a wand, not even when I was still learning from my father.” He said.

My eyes twitched. “So you mean you would’ve hid the wand from me simply because you didn’t want your public reputation to fall for making a mistake.” I accused.

He frowned. “It is more than that and you know it.” He said.

I threw my arms in the air. “So what are you saying? That fate personally guided you into making a mistake.” I asked loudly.

He gave me a stare. “Yes, that is exactly what I’m saying.” He stated.

I eyed him warily. “Do you not think that kind of thinking is even remotely arrogant in believing that you could only make a mistake if there was supernatural powers at play?” I asked carefully.

He ignored me. “You see, I had just finished carving the wood into a mighty vessel for its magical core. I had not had the chance to work with cedar for some time, so that very moment I was very happy. I had carved a particularly swishy wood down to size, thirteen inches to be exact. I had finished with the carvings so I placed it on my workbench. I grabbed the core, which was a dragon heartstring. I mostly work with dragon heartstrings, for they seem to be more accepting of wizards than the other cores. You see, I had gotten a little cocky and I thought I could skip the journey towards the dissecting table and just work at my workbench. I had grabbed the heart and as I was making a careful incision, thunder roared and lightning smashed through my window. I was shocked at the scene and at that momentary lapse, my hand swayed and cut deeply into the heart causing it to spurt blood everywhere. I did not react in time and the wood had gotten soaked from the blood. Its once woody brown color had turned into a blackened red…a bloody red.” He said and continued at my silence. “I still tried to save the wand. I quickly extracted the heartstring and placed it within the wand to complete the ritual, but it did not work for me…I felt no magic emit itself from the vessel.” He said.

I narrowed my eyes. “So what? I did not feel any magic from the majority of the wands here.” I exclaimed.

He narrowed his eyes at me. “Boy, there is a significant difference in us, I do not mean it as an insult, but trust me on this matter. Wands will always signify if they’ll allow you to use their magic or not, remember all those plates you broke, that was a sign that it rejected.” He said.

“I already know that meant rejection, I’m talking about the times that the wand failed to do anything.” I stated.

“You may not have seen or felt anything, but that does not mean an experienced wandmaker would fall into the same trap.” He admonished. “You see, all those wands exuded an aura around them. When you’ve been around wands for as long as I have, you pick up these things. Some wands are just subtle. That wand, however, was completely quiet, like it would not even register that I existed. It wasn’t just me, I’ve asked countless wizards to try that wand out and nothing happened. Hell, even Albus gave it a swish when he was escorting a muggle-born around the alley. You, however, have somehow managed to make it respond to you. Dragon heartstrings are notorious for being the most disloyal cores that we sell, so it was a surprise that it was suspiciously loyal to someone, that someone now revealed to have been you, almost if it was made for you. I oddly feel like it should not exist.” He stated.

I paled at that. Just like I was not really supposed to exist as Draco. “Well, I’m glad it does.” I eventually said.

“Aye, I guess you would.” He agreed. He paused for a second and looked slightly reluctant in parting with his thoughts.

“Anything you would like to say?” I raised a brow.

“…Listen Draco, I know this may seem like a silly question, but did anything strange appear on your body.” He asked mysteriously.

The mark. It no longer marred my skin, but for a second it was engraved on my wrist. “A strange marking appeared on my wrist.” I answered.

He rushed over to me and grabbed a hold of my wrist. “Where?! I see no marking.” He cried frantically.

I pulled my wrist away from him and started to massage it. I gave him a glare. “It has since disappeared.” I let out.

He eyed me carefully. “So it has.” He drawled out.

“So…does the wand do anything special, any traits?” I asked, changing the topic.

He scratched his chin. “The true holder of a cedar carrier shall have the most strongest of character. They are also unusually loyal to what they care for and will go to any lengths in protecting what they think is right. Throughout my life, I’ve only come across five people that really possessed the full potential of that wand, and I have long since learned that it is truly foolish to challenge a carrier of cedar as they shall never waver in their resolve. The length usually signifies a wizard’s height, but can sometimes signify the wizard’s potential. You’ll either be really tall or really lucky, maybe both.” He chuckled. “Dragon heartstring signifies power and the wand is flexible meaning it is adaptable to change in your personality. Now the extra ingredient, the blood, I do not know what it would spell for your wand. I can only imagine that it would be quite well at transfiguration as its very own nature has been altered.” He revealed.

I was speechless. “I need to ask you a personal question.” He said after a while.

“Go ahead.” I granted him permission.

“Did anything strange occur during your birth?” He asked.

My mother spoke up. “How can you ask something like that?! Have you no shame?” My mother admonished him.

He sighed deeply and drew his wand and walked over towards my mother. “Listen Narcissa, I will promise never to reveal anything that is said in this room.” He said while staring into my mother’s eyes.

She narrowed her stare. “Promises can be broken. Words are just that.” She told him.

He took out his wand and extended it. “Handmaiden, come here and be our witness.” He commanded Anna. “Narcissa extend your wand.” He told my mother.

Narcissa looked shocked. “Really? You would go to this length to learn something of non-use to you? So be it.” She stated and extended her wand.

They clasped arms and Anna pulled out a wand and pointed it to the entangled limps. Soon a glowing light appeared. “I, Garrick Ollivander swear to keep what is revealed to me today about Draco a secret and I shall guard it with my life. So mote it be.” He made his vow and a wispy light struck his heart momentarily and disappeared.

My mother nodded towards the old man. “So mote it be. Alright, I think you’ve earned the right to learn the secret regarding Draco’s birth. He had complications when he was born. He was born still.” She revealed.

I was thunderstruck. “What…?” I questioned.

My mother frowned sadly. “I’m sorry my boy, but I cannot change the past, or else that horrific moment wouldn’t have occurred.” She said comfortingly. “But you did end up waking which is all that matters.” She smiled sadly.

I guess it makes sense that in order for me to have received this body…the original occupant would have to be booted from its shell first. I shuddered and decided not to think too deeply about the child who was born still. “Ok…” I said.

Ollivander cleared his throat. “Well, that may be of significance, but I cannot seem to grasp what makes it so. All I can say is that I am very curious of what will come of you Draco. I only wonder what you will choose to protect and stand for, I guess someday I might find out.” He said while looking at my wrist.

I nodded my head and began my journey out of the shop as we had already paid in advance. He called me back for a moment. “Wait, I know it might be a little too much to ask, but if it would not trouble you, would you be able to help little Terry here return home. I mean you don’t have to take him home right away, but maybe eventually.” He asked.

I raised a brow. “Isn’t he your assistant? Why pass him to me?” I asked.

“For years I have been promising young Terry that I would eventually bring him back home, but I am now old and probably cannot make the journey. You are the only other human that he has felt comfortable around, you must be the one to bring him back.” He explained.

I began to protest, but the speech never left my mouth. The bowtruckle had made its way into my palms and began to fall asleep. In that moment I chose not to be cruel. “Alright, I accept. Goodbye Ollivander.” I said while marching out.

“Remember that sometimes bad things happen to some people in order for another’s story to continue.” He warned me before I left.

I looked back and shook my head and continued on. This was certainly an exciting day.


	4. The First Player

As I walked down the street, I caught my mother sneaking glances at me when she thought I was unaware. I sighed deeply. Ever since the incident at Ollivanders, she has been on edge, somehow thinking that I was in some kind of danger. I assured her multiple times that nothing of harm has been done towards me. She only graced me with a silent look instead of speech. It has been an hour filled with awkwardness but soon it shall end.

As we journeyed across the cobblestone path, we soon came across the beginnings on Knockturn Alley. I straightened up a bit. “Ah, finally we are here. Navigating through the morning foot-traffic has been just awful. I still cannot believe so many people choose to shop in the same location, one would think that demand would equal expansion in terms of size, but no, traditional wizards and their customs of being cozy and having unnaturally tight streets. I’m surprised someone with actual business knowledge didn’t sweep up all the customers yet, perhaps in the future, I’ll have to teach these elders a thing or two.” I ranted.

My mother gave me a half-smile and Anna smirked. “Aye, you might want to grow a few feet there Draco before you go all tycoon on us poor folk. I shiver to think about all the things you will do when you finally get your stubby little fingers in the wizarding market.” She said while clutching herself exaggeratedly.

I rolled my eyes and then gave her a devilish smirk. “Aye, perhaps I shall practice with you first. After all, every boss and tycoon must have their slave-I mean employee to experiment on.” I said.

She widened her eyes dramatically and looked towards her left and right. Finally, she threw her arms in the arm from sheer frustration. “Is anybody going to react to that at all?! Just me...?” She exclaimed incredulously. When people stopped and looked at her like she was mad, her shoulders dropped. “Bloody idiots, the lot of them.” She muttered.

I chuckled at Anna’s display. My mother decided she had enough of our banter and cleared her throat. “Well…be it as it may, Draco I’m sure you’ll be a lovely businessman, but for now let us join your father…maybe you shall even be given a glimpse into how business actually operates if your father will allow it.” She said.

I nodded towards her. My gaze stretched and soon came upon the towering building. It was snow-white, made of marble, but somehow I would fall for a tale of it being made of pearl. It shined and sparkled like diamonds in the light. White stairs led towards the menacing giant doors made of polished bronze. I could make out two guards adorned in scarlet and gold. It was the first time I had come across another species other than humans and the handful of elves that I’ve come across. The goblin was so alien, yet so familiar. Everything from its skin colour to its body looked human, even the facial features looked oddly human-like. Their height was that of a child, but I do not know why they were discriminated against so much. The looked more like some sort of long-eared Hobbit more than a manner of beast. Just how far does prejudice travel in the wizarding world. I felt that the answer to that question was not a good one.

I nodded towards my mother. “Aye, let us be reunited with father at last.” I answered and began my way up the white steps.

We journeyed across the steps and as soon as the guards caught a glimpse of who my mother was, they parted like a great wave and granted us entrance. We walked for less than a few moments before we were suddenly greeted. “Lord Malfoy, Lady Malfoy, I have been given leave to guide you towards the employee lounge, as your head of house is still engaged with the manager you can wait there. It has been since cleared and catered towards your family’s needs.” A sickly looking goblin drawled out in a raspy voice. He narrowed his eyes at me and continued walking. “Spit it out little lord, what do you want?” He asked me with venom.

I was taken aback from his attitude, but I couldn’t exactly blame him as humans very rarely treated goblins with any respect. “I was just going to ask you of your name, sir.” I asked softly.

He kept up his stare for a while, but I could see his eyes soften just a bit. “…Gronak.” He said after a while. He eyed me and when I failed to laugh at him or make a joke, he quickly moved on.

We followed in pursuit and soon came upon a room made of gold and silver. In the middle of the room, a pond could be seen with fish of different colours racing around in it. Furs of rare animals adorned the smooth marble floors. In the distance, oak and lavender could be smelled from the fireplace. The walls were guarded by portraits of ancient goblin warriors, most likely past clan members that have immortalized themselves in song. They did not move, but for some reason, the portraits looked like they were watching you, more cunningly and waiting to catch you off-guard, it was extremely unsettling. The room produced a trance-like vibe, it spoke songs of luxury, but an undertone of how exactly said luxury was first achieved, was at least a little dark. The shadows in the room seemed unnaturally dark like someone was hiding in the corners, trying to be unseen. I walked over to my seat warily. I decided not to reveal anything of importance in this room, for I feared secrets would no longer remain so in this room.

The table was snowy-white in colour. I placed my hand on top of the table from curiosity. Instead of having sated my hunger, pursuing answers only added to them for the table seemed ice cold. “How is this table so cold? Have you placed an enchantment upon the item? That can be the only explanation as the room is fairly warm.” I asked.

Gronak grunted. “…There is an enchantment on the table you sit at. All of the items at Gringotts have at least some magical properties towards it. It is mostly for comfort's sake…but the more interesting things we keep in the vaults or use to guard the vaults. The table, in particular, has an enchantment to keep food warm or cold, and as…” He paused and snapped his fingers. A plate full of grapes, strawberries and peaches appeared. To the left, a bottle of red liquid appeared with two glasses. “…We heard you prefer colder food and drink, we prepared all this for you beforehand.” He explained in a deep voice.

I looked at the table and back to the goblin. I was fascinated. “Gronak, that is seriously impressive, I definitely envy your access to such luxury. Are all of Gringotts items really enchanted? That would certainly make things a lot more interesting at work.” I told him.

I could see his lips quiver a bit. “Hmph. Do not think so little of the clans Lord Malfoy, goblins are known to be the best enchanters in the world. We as a people have created so much, yet we never receive praise, just scorn.” He revealed while looking distantly.

My lips thinned. “I do not carry the opinions of other lesser minded fools. If they want to make a target out of someone or something in order to justify their own superiority, then let them be, all it would prove is their own prejudice and true nature. Sometimes it is better to have your enemies kept in the light rather than the dark. You, after all, can only battle the enemies that you know of. I only value actions and truth, not gossip.” I revealed while taking a chilled glass and raising it in the air, an icy vapour danced around the glass. “You possess the knowledge of an extremely unappreciated craft, perhaps one day we shall work together to create something of beauty.” I chuckled and downed my glass. I shivered briefly as the fiery sweet nectar passed down my throat. I recovered quickly, however.

Gronak gave me an odd look. “…Wait here, hopefully, you will not wait for long. Farewell.” He said slowly while eyeing me warily. The prideful being made to move but hesitated for but a second. He glanced at my form for a moment and then made his escape from the lounge.

I shook my head at the potential work I would undoubtedly have to go through to ensure the goblins were not discriminated against. You can only push someone so many times before they snap. The wizarding world has no need for yet another rebellion from the clans. I need to ensure they are thoroughly brought into the fold, Voldemort cannot be allowed another advantage. Perhaps a gift or a token of goodwill is in order, the question is, just what? Maybe I shall find the answer in time.

I sat down and looked at my mother. She noticed my stare and turned over and gave me a small smile. “Come, son. The goblins were nice enough to allow us respite in their lodgings, let us partake in the bounty they have bestowed upon us.” She said while picking up a strawberry covered in frost like it was picked fresh from the north. She dipped the berry in chocolate fondue and took a bite of it. The blissful expression on her face was all the argument I needed.

“Maybe I shall.” I responded. I reached over to grab the bottle and my glass. I uncorked the bottle and inhaled deeply from the opening. The wine smelled of summer. It smelled of lush green fields and sunny skies with not a cloud in the sky. It was the perfect drink to let one truly relax and have peace of mind.

I poured the fiery red liquid into my chilled glass. The iciness of the glass seemed to turn the drink into a purple colour. I twirled the glass in my hands for a few moments and then took a deep sip. “Ah hah!” I let out. I could feel the drink working and my body loosening. I was suddenly feeling a bit restless. “Mother, don’t mind me, I am just going to go for a little walk.” I said while getting up. Almost immediately I could feel a slight sway in my balance.

My mother took a sip of her wine. “Do not venture too far my young dragon.” My mother told me. I nodded and made my way.

I walked around the impressive lounge and as I came upon what seemed like the end, I almost turned around. What caught my eye was the fact that I ended up towards some exit that Gronak did not leave and did not say that my father was at. Just then, the door seemed to creak open.

I knew it was probably a huge mistake to try to investigate the area. Everything seemed suspicious, but for the life of me, my curiosity got the better of me. As I stepped closer an eerie glow seemed to appear and my body seemed to move on its own. I came upon a portrait. This one was different from the others. The other goblins were never looking directly forward, this goblin, however, had his eyes in a menacing stare. His once fair skin had turned ashy. Crow’s feet marred his eyes and fine lines were painted into his skin. His two sharp canines were displayed for all to see. His eyes though, they were like those of a cat. Legend says that when you come across a feline that has marked you as prey, it hypnotizes you with its gaze before it strikes. His yellow eyes had that effect on me. As my eyes stared, all I could feel was a throbbing sensation in my temples. I had an extreme feeling of vertigo as if the floorboards were about to spill open and consume me whole. I do not know how long I kept the gaze, but I was soon booted from the trance.

“Interesting portrait is it not, Lord Malfoy.” A voice sounded out. I snapped out of the trance and began breathing heavily. My knees felt weak and I had a feeling of light-headedness. I tried to keep my balance, but I stumbled towards the floor and heaved. For the first few attempts, nothing but air was expelled from my body. On the fifth push, the contents of my stomach were expelled and I felt if the hounds of hell themselves were purged from the depths of my soul.

As I laid there panting on my knees, sweat dropped from my brow. Shaking hands wiped the perspiration and moved to look at the owner of the voice. As I turned my head over I could see a goblin waving his hands at the pile of vomit and it disappearing. I turned back to the goblin and observed him. He seemed more regal, like someone who held power. “Who-who are you?” I shakily asked, still weak from the ordeal.

The goblin stopped looking at the floor and looked at me. He frowned for but a second and then awarded me with a chuckle. “Who am I? Isn’t that the question little lord. May I ask why have you decided to venture into parts unknown and off-limits to you?” He asked me what sounded like a joke, but I knew it was not one.

I looked at him and stood tall. I was still feeling a little delirious, but I stood strong. I made to speak, but I took a deep breath to calm myself first. “W-What the hell was that?” I asked not daring to look back at the portrait.

He looked behind me at the portrait and then back at me and started cackling. “Hah, I would’ve thought for sure that Gronak would warn you not to step past the lounge area. So be it, if it must be then this outcome was probably for the better. The children of nobles always seem to get their noses into places which they have no business being.” He chided.

I looked at him warily. “And exactly who are you to be telling me off.” I told him a bit angrily. I was still mad about having gone through whatever it is happened.

Immediately a change in the air could be felt. It seemed to get colder in the room. Our shallow breaths could be heard from the silence created by my outburst. He stepped closer to me and narrowed his eyes dangerously. “Do not say something you’ll regret boy.” He spat. “My given name is Griphook and fairly soon you shall learn it will never be wise to go against me. After all, you are in my bank and on my property.” He warned.

Upon learning of his status I became wary. The goblin before me was the clan leader. He held immense sway over the rest of the goblins and I assume the other clans. His cold stare did not falter, I swallowed the lump that was forming in my throat. “So you are the manager. I…apologize if I’ve overstepped my bounds. It was not my intention to trespass.” I tried explaining.

He stared at me and then turned around. When I did not make to follow he spoke up. “Well? Are you coming or not? Your parents are looking for you after all.” He drawled out.

My parents? I’ve only been gone for a second, why would they be looking for me? “Um…Griphook…what exactly happened back there?” I asked dreading the answer.

He gave me a narrowed look. “Really boy, you should learn that sometimes being too nosy will get you killed.” He scoffed. “That portrait was of the founder, Gringott. He was said to be unparalleled in his craftsmanship. His enchanting skills were said to have been capable of making artifacts. It is no surprise that even a simple painting of the warrior would invoke power. The portrait is bewitched to ensnare a target, once you look upon the painting it is said that you can never look away if not freed from the outside.” He revealed in a rough voice. He paused and looked at me and saw that I had paled and he smirked at my fear. “Aye, you see that was just one of the protections that Gringotts has in place to deter any type of…bad business, yes let us put it like that. I was always a firm believer in learning through actions and now that you have personally experienced that there are always consequences to one's actions, you won’t need to learn of it later on when you become head of house and start to do business with the clan.” He said and moved on.

I was feeling a little bit better but still was a little lightheaded. I quickly followed, however. One thing for sure was that I was definitely going to take caution before I venture into the unknown again. A few moments later we reached the lounge and both my mother and father were pacing back and forth, with my dad rubbing my mother’s back. I cleared my throat and their attention snapped towards me.

My mother was like lightning. She dashed towards me. She grabbed me and held me tight. Her grasp was like fire, full of passion, but also fierce and unwavering. I felt slight tremors from her. “Silly boy, I told you not to go off and get lost.” She cried out.

I was confused. “What do you mean mother? Surely I was gone for but a few moments. Also, how could you not find me, I did not even stray that far from the room that we all are in now?” I asked of her.

She gave an odd look, but it was my father who answered me. “Draco, you have been missing for over three hours.” He revealed in a deadly serious voice. “Your mother thought you might’ve been in the bathroom for the first hour. After that she got worried. She started looking around the room and shouting your name, but you never answered. She had feared the worst and contacted the goblins for assistance, which was when the true worries began. They could not find you. They even checked to see if you’ve triggered any traps or somehow bypassed security and made it into the vaults. It took Griphook checking the secret passages to get any results, but that still took time. Do you have any idea how you have made your mother feel Draco?” He scolded me.

I was thunderstruck. How could I have missed three hours? I could’ve sworn that I gazed at the goblin for only a moment or two. A feeling of fear bubbled within me. If Griphook forgot about a certain passage or two he might’ve missed me. What would’ve happened if he had not come? I shivered at the thought. “What? Three hours!” I looked over at Griphook. “Why didn’t you tell me that I was stuck for that long? How could you even let me be stuck for that long?” I snarled out.

The goblin gritted his teeth. He spat at the floor and greeted me with a glare. “You should be thanking me that I even came across you boy! This place is bloody ancient and even I do not know of all its secrets. Gringotts was built by the founder to be what he envisioned power to be. His very own paradise.” He began a tale.

I did not know where he was going with this. “Why have you started on about your founder? Must we hear of this tale now?” I asked while rubbing my temples.

He gave me a narrowed stare. “Yes. Yes, you must listen for once in your life little lord.” He spat out.

My mother was aghast. “You-you will not speak to my son like that you cur!” My mother admonished the goblin.

He waved a hand at her and ignored her outburst. “Gringotts is a magical place. It has a mind of its own, it really does. In goblin culture treasure is everything. So much so that when a goblin is said to have passed he would be buried beneath a mountain of gold, his life’s achievement. Now goblins are extremely greedy in nature, what we want we will have in time, so it was a surprise that a goblin could put aside his natural greed and share his loot and open up a bank. Yes, Gringott was a truly revolutionary mind, he realized that making your money work for you as investments would grow one's pile of gold faster than any other method. So naturally, he would have wanted to protect that investment.” He said mysteriously.

I narrowed my eyes at him. “What are you trying to say?” I asked cautiously.

His cool eyes glanced at me, then looked away. “Gringott was a being that truly embodied the aspect of greed. Naturally, when one is flawed, they will usually think that others are flawed in the same ways like them. So when he built his business, he gave people what they could not resist, he let them give in to their desires and greed. The best traps in here are for when groups of people try to break in. The longest was five minutes before someone in the group turned on one another.” He gave an evil smile. “But…Gringotts would only let you in an area for two reasons. One, it wanted to play with you…or it wanted you to experience whatever it wanted you to. Gringotts is like a fair maiden, tempting those around them and filling them with desire.” He stopped and stared at me. “You know sometimes…Gringotts will disable its own protections, maybe open a door or picture frame and inside there might be a sack of gold in it.” He smirked at me. “Obviously greed will always hail true, I mean which sick kind of man would just leave a chance at greatness be. Those beautiful shiny coins and trinkets, how they clink and clank and sing songs of luxury. The best part is when they reach for it. Sometimes the loot will be on a pressure plate and removing the gold would activate a flame to scorch the victim, or even a bucket of sheep guts would be spilled on you, you would find yourself confused until you heard the barks, then suddenly you realize that confusion isn’t the only thing you would experience.” He chuckled with a hoarse voice. He suddenly narrowed his eyes and got quiet. “Be wary of this land, what may seem like answers may not be so here.” He said.

I looked at Griphook and just stared. After a minute my mother tackled me and started sobbing and whispering how she would ensure that she wouldn’t let me out of her sight again. I groaned at the potential nagging I would no doubt be subject to in the near future. I could see the goblin making his way out. “Where are you going?” I asked Griphook.

He looked back at me and scoffed. “Some of us actually have work to do. If that’ll be all then I bid you a good day Lord Malfoy.” He said then nodded towards my father.

I looked up to my parents and they greeted me with a look of fury. “Draco you are grounded until further notice.” My mother informed me.

I was taken aback. “What? Mom please I’m sorry.” I pleaded with my mother.

She was resolute in her decision. “No Draco it is final. Perhaps when you calm down a bit you can learn not to give your parents a fright so often.” She said and started walking away. “Come, Lucius, Draco, let’s go.”

I was slightly angry about being grounded, but I still hurried after her. I, after all, did not want to get stuck again.

When I got home I immediately started to try to use proper magic with a wand. Of course, I had to start with everyone’s favourite starter spell. I extended my wand forward. I had a vision of light and burning fire. “Lumos!” A warm white-light appeared at the tip of my wand.

Hah, I really did it. I’m officially a wizard in training. A chirping sound came over from my shoulder, I looked down and met a warm face. “Preet, Preet.” Terry chirped. Yes, the lovable little Bowtruckle had grown on me much during the past few weeks. With being grounded, my mother decided to teach me a lesson for making her cry and took away my wand. She said I could have it back when my punishment was over. During that time all I could really do was read or at night sneak out and ride my broom, so Terry was a real life-saver by keeping me company. I looked at him and he began chirping happily. I smiled. I still have no idea what the hell the little guy is saying, but I like to think that I understand him a little bit.

It’s been about six weeks since I got the wand and only now am I testing it out. When I was sure no one was around I practiced my levitation of small objects without the aid of my wand. I still remember the crazy show that this particular wand showed me and hoped that it would be a strong wand. Truth be told I did not know too many spells. The majority of the books in the Malfoy manor were books on theory and dark rituals. There were a lot of books on the art of potions, no doubt thanks to my god-father. There were even a few books on beginner’s alchemy. The spells we did have were locked in my father’s study. It was the one place in the manor which I was not allowed. Several times I have attempted to get inside, but it was always too heavily guarded. The main reason I wanted entrance is I wanted to see if the ‘diary’ was there.

Even if I did find it though I doubt I have a solution on what to do with the bloody diary after. It’s not like I have something to destroy it or someplace to hide it. For now, it must remain untouched.

I knew basic spells thus far. I knew how to levitate with Wingardium Leviosa, light the dark with Lumos, create a fire for shelter and heat with Incendio and become the ultimate handyman with Reparo. To an extent, I had some mastery over the severing charm Diffindo, but I would rather hold off on using it in live combat for now. Even the basics can be deadly if aimed right and I had no intention of visiting Azkaban any time soon.

A crack was heard in the room. I turned my head towards the noise and was greeted with a bashful elf. “H-hello young master, how do fare this evening.” Dobby stammered out.

I smiled. I grabbed hold of Terry and moved him off my shoulder. “Sorry Terry, I’ll let you back on in just a minute.” I told the Bowtruckle when he whined. I looked back at the house-elf. “Dobby! It’s bloody good to see you mate.” I grinned and walked over to him. “So…what do you got this time?” I asked him.

His lips quivered upwards just the slightest bit. “Dobby got a nice haul, yes Dobby sure did. Dobby came upon a forest yes he did.” He said then moved closer to me. “This forest though was different, it was close to the school of Hogwarts.” He said in a low voice then gave me a basket.

I took the basket from him and set it on the table. I Glanced inside and saw a picture of greenery and nature. The withered basket contained herbs of all kind, I told Dobby to pick whatever he thought was important. The aromas of pollen and summer danced in the air creating a blissful fragrance in their wake. I grabbed a handful of lavender and brought it close to my face. I inhaled deeply and when greeted with the earthy aroma, I sighed heavily. I put the stimulating herb to the side and started to sort the plants into jars. “Damn this is some good stuff Dobby. Truth be told if you were to try to sell me some story that these were just freshly picked, I would probably believe you. Wait a second though, did you mention something about Hogwarts?” I asked intrigued. Hogwarts had many plants that were only native to its forest and you could be damn well-rested in knowing that some ministry pencil-pusher did not interfere in its growth.

The reason why I was being given herbs was due to my punishment. Naturally, when being grounded, you would want to do something and of course when you were a wizard that activity tended to be magical in nature. Being left without my wand left me hungry for a desire. So naturally, I attempted to do what I thought was a genius move, I channelled my inner Snape and tried my hand at the art of potioneering. I have to say it was quite a comical sight when I tried to follow a basic recipe and had it explode and fizz into smoke. It was supposed to be a simple boil-removing potion not an explosive. When I had brought my concerns to Snape he gave me a deadpan stare and whacked me with a newspaper. When I yelped I asked him why he had smacked me, he responded saying that truly everyone was an idiot and that making potions actually required a wand. I was shocked, to say the least, but it does make sense I mean it is still magic, it would make sense that a wand would also make potions easier to make. When I asked him why one required a wand, he told me just like magic spells, a wand or rather a foci, in general, makes the process easier. He spoke of times in the past when wizards used to perform rituals that would last hours long and would usually require a sacrifice of some kind as payment. When one uses a wand, what actually happens is that all the magical steps are shortened.

Potions are the same way. Some ingredients would not be able to release the chemicals needed for the mixture correctly without a wand, a potion made without a wand when following a modern recipe book would be like boiling hot water and adding salt then selling it as soup. He told me songs of the great past when healers and shamans would come across a village plagued with illness and through relentless willpower purge their systems clean. Back then it was an art highly regarded by even kings themselves. You would need to study the land and bond with the herbs. Connect with the dirt and let it tell you of which you should pick and which you should leave be. Perhaps under the moonlight water would sparkle and the dew would be ripe for opportunities. Placing a leaf in one’s mouth and tasting of the essence, whether it aches your jaw or soothes it. Basically what he told me was that without a wand you would need to learn from trial and error and that since everyone is different, so would the potions be. It would be different things like the amount you needed or that you might have to crush a beetle instead of dicing it. Although he praised the art of ‘true potioneering’ he warned me that I was an amateur and not to get too cocky as complex magic without a wand was akin to a sword without a hilt. It had a price, just what that price was, was the real question.

So over the past few weeks when Dobby found out that I was pulling weeds and all kinds of strange plants from our garden he freaked out and told me that he would rather find some herbs for me in a place which he did not need to tend to. Usually the concoctions I brew are nothing more than tea, however, I have been successful in my endeavors. Though nothing big, the things that I’ve created were surely strange. I’ve made a sticky sap that when released from its flask will expand and consume objects whole. I’ve also created some basic medicine like numbing potion for toothaches and a liquid when swished in one’s mouth will leave their teeth white as snow and their breath fresh as the winds of winter.

Dobby shuffled nervously in his spot. “…Dobby did indeed speak of the school…was that not an appropriate hunting ground.” Dobby let out meekly.

I stared at the fidgeting house elf. A few months ago he would probably have fled the room from shyness by now. Now he has grown a little bolder, more confident in holding conversation and not worrying that everything is a test. I glanced back at the basket and then back at him. I know Dobby could get into Hogwarts somehow through their wards, I never thought of the possibility that it might’ve been through the forbidden forest. I looked at Dobby and eyed him warily. “One may have thought that an institution that houses and educates the children of some of the most powerful people would be rather…protected. One would think a ward would be in place to deter any intruders regardless of their intentions. Now Dobby I’m going to have to ask you very carefully…” I paused to let my words sink in. When I saw Dobby swallow the lump in his throat, I continued. “How did one such as you manage to enter into a place which even dark lords cannot?” I asked him.

He blushed slightly as if he were a child caught with his hand in a jar, embarrassed. He started to scratch at his elbows as if something was underneath his skin. The cool air seemed to create bubbles and bumps on his skin. “…You don’t know?” He asked quietly.

I narrowed my stare. “I don’t know what?” I asked.

He stopped scratching immediately as if what I said was strange. “There be a lot of scary and big things in that forest, Dobby can tell you that much, so many scary things with teeth like the sharpest daggers and claws like icepicks. Naturally, all things that should stay in nightmares and away from children!” He exclaimed with eyes the size of saucers.

I rolled my eyes, Dobby could be a little theatrical at times. “Naturally a place that is named ‘the forbidden forest’ would not exactly attract fairies and good Samaritans. What does this have to do with the wards?” I asked him.

“What is the purpose of a ward?” He asked mysteriously.

I closed my eyes and rubbed my temples, soothing my pulsing veins. “Dobby...will you stop speaking in riddles already and answer me.” I demanded getting tired of this game.

He wavered for a bit but held tight and eyes resolute. “What is the purpose of a ward?” He asked again with more confidence.

I sighed heavily. Dobby had certainly gotten a lot bolder in his time with me. I decided to humour him out of curiosity and for my own sanity. “A ward you say? I’m no professor or expert, but the obvious answer is that it is a barrier that protects the people or things within the barrier from outside interference.” I said while rubbing my chin in thought.

He smiled slightly. “So a ward protects right, and the creatures are dangerous…” He revealed and my eyes widened when I finally linked the two together.

“And it’s not bloody likely that Hogwarts would risk anything. If they were included in the wards, then perhaps they would be able to siege the castle when tempted. The wards would probably be able to sense intent and surely any manner of beast has no such pure intent against mankind. The reason why you were able to enter the forest was that there were no wards placed on the massive forest. Just a compulsion to keep things inside, not out.” I thought out.

When Dobby smiled, I couldn’t stop myself from grinning ear-to-ear. The information I have been given is not light in any way. What I’ve just learned can very well be a tipping point in the war to come and it does present me with certain opportunities at the moment. This also makes Hagrid’s job seem that much more important like he is an actual gatekeeper keeping the beasts from pouring in. That also means that every time he stepped in that forest for his job he wasn’t under the protection of the wards and was all alone in the forest without a wand. I felt my respect for the half-giant grow quite a bit.

“So anyone can enter the forest?” I asked in confirmation.

He nodded. “Yes, although they would have to be pretty daft to attempt to do so…” He narrowed his eyes at me. “There are literal monsters in there, the stuff of legends and songs and certainly no place for an under-aged boy.” He warned while waving his finger at me.

I smirked and waved him off. “Bah Dobby you think too much, come let us take stock of the bounty you have plundered from the forest. I have grown rather bored of experimenting with dandelions and tree roots and would rather test out the more magical ingredients.” I said trying to change the mood to that of a brighter one.

He kept up his stare trying to seem like he was serious but then broke out into a series of small chuckles. “Aye, young master you would, wouldn’t you? If you have such a hunger than perhaps the leaf you were gifted may provide something of interest.” He suggested.

I wracked my brain for any leaf that I was gifted. Really it seemed a ridiculous notion that one would gift another a leaf, but then suddenly it hit me like the Hogwarts express. “How the hell did I forget about that bloody thing, to be fair a lot has happened, but still…?” I let out in frustration.

Dobby smiled as if finally hearing some answer to a question not asked. No doubt he thought me mad for experimenting with weeds and grass when I had such a precious herb at my disposal. I paced around the room and started to throw things left and right. Clothes and toys flew in the air while I searched for my treasure. “Yes, the leaf of the mandrake plant.” Dobby let out.

I threw my clothes into a pile and groaned. “Where the hell is the bloody thing? For Merlin’s sake, it is so small that it could be anywhere.” I asked frustrated.

Dobby cleared his throat which served to make my head whip around and stare at him. “Yes Dobby, I’m a little busy right now.” I told him.

Dobby smirked and pulled out a small jar. “Dobby can see that. Dobby is at least happy that he can rest assured that he won’t have to ever worry about losing a game of hide and seek with the young master.” He said while waving the jar in his hand.

I stood there frozen for a bit then smiled slowly. “Dobby! Oh, how you’ve grown bold, soon you will be telling japes and songs for the masses to hear.” I reached out and grabbed the jar. “I can’t believe I’ve been tasting lemongrass and bark for the past few weeks when I could’ve used something like this. Now I also possess a wand and while I appreciate the fine art of ‘true potioneering’, I’m starting to see why it isn’t more popular, I mean I don’t care much for vegetables so putting dirty leaves in one’s mouth to find out certain effects did not grow on me.” I let out, briefly shivering at the memory.

I opened the lid off and took the leaf out. “Now what can I do with you?” I asked myself. Suddenly my thoughts flew towards my potions book, the same one that Snape gave me which contained notes from his mastery of potions and not the one filled with horseshit of experiments on potions without wands. As I fumbled through the notebook, I soon came across his index, thank Merlin that Snape was organized, and found a chapter dedicating itself to the mandrake plant. I licked my finger and flipped through arriving at the chapter. I skipped through the lore of the plant but was slightly disturbed to figure out that mandrake plants were sometimes used in potions that used to require sacrifice. Apparently the anatomy of the plant makes it so that it tricks the magic into thinking it is a human or something like that, magical theory was very confusing and always had an incredibly weird sense of rules that often contradicted themselves. This characteristic of the plant made it incredibly valuable, nearly any stock would almost always be sold out immediately as it was only grown by wizards in small quantities. It is one of the most difficult plants to take care of as it is said to have been created artificially by a mad wizard in the past that placed a glamour over the mandrakes and presented them as children. Then they were said to deafen unsuspecting parents while they were asleep. Another story tells of a dark wizard that wanted an army of loyal followers, he knew that for one to be truly loyal to you, their conditioning and brainwashing must begin at a young age. So instead of kidnapping children from the local villages and risk being hunted, he decided to make children instead by growing them in the ground. The children of the earth, the children of the forest. When I read that I shivered slightly, I calmed down after I realized that these were probably tall tales surely, I mean the alternative would be too crazy to fathom.

I shook my head and moved on. “Ah, here we are! The recipes that contain mandrake parts.” I said. I skipped over the roots and hairs of the plant. I also skipped over the ones demanding the whole plant be used. I found a creepy recipe involving pulling a screaming mandrake plant out of the ground and plunging it into a boiling cauldron and have its muffled screams bubble the water. I eventually found recipes that required only a leaf. “Antidote, another antidote, animagus, antidote…wait a second, let me go back a few lines.” I fingered the page and re-read the line. “The animagus transformation.” Hmm, I thought. I raised my hands to scratch my forehead, but when I saw them they were trembling slightly. Now even the dumbest of fans would know of the animagus, Sirius Black being the most famous, how many people as kids saw him changing into a dog and wished they could do so as well.

When I read the process for the ritual my eyes widened and I groaned heavily. Dobby looked at me in curiosity. “What’s the matter, young master?” Dobby asked blinking softly.

I rubbed my face. “I complained of having the taste of shit in my mouth for the past month and now I got to put another leaf in my mouth and for another month at that! How the hell would it even be possible to keep it in your mouth while you are asleep?” I sighed deeply, at least I had some practice with putting leaves in my mouth.

Dobby started laughing full on. “Aye Dobby sees the irony in that young master. Since you were left without a wand you had to do strange things to create a potion and now that you have a wand, the first actual proper potion you create requires you put a plant in your mouth as well.

I chuckled briefly, then my eyes turned back to the notebook. I read out the steps and ingredients and groaned internally. “You got to be kidding me, I mean the dew wouldn’t be that hard to find, but where the hell am I supposed to find a bloody chrysalis of a death’s head hawkmoth?” I complained to Dobby.

His lips quivered upwards and he stifled his laugh. “Perhaps the young master should get a net and go butterfly-catching.” He said as if he were telling some great joke.

I greeted him with a deadpan stare. “First of all Dobby, it is a moth and second of all I’ve been in the bloody garden for the past month, any more time there and you might as well call me a Longbottom. Goddammit!” I slammed my fist on the table. “This was not what I was expecting when I became a wizard. I should be fighting trolls and swimming with mermaids, not picking up daisies and chasing after butterflies.” I let out with some passion.

Dobby raised up a brow. “Can you even swim?” He asked.

I felt my cheeks redden slightly. I found out the hard way that knowing how to swim in another life does not mean that you could do so again in your next. “O-oi that’s not important.” I stammered out in a voice of slightly high-pitch.

I saw Dobby smirk for just a second. “Aye, Dobby is sure that the lovely ladies would be happy to…ferry you across. Hmm, perhaps a floaty is in order, maybe a rubber duck or two.” He japed with some cheek.

I blushed slightly but actually did laugh at that last bit. “Oh hush you miscreant, I’ll hardly need a floaty when I’ve already got an airhead of a friend. I’ll just hang on to you and glide across the seven seas, the Dobby Express, that’s what I’ll call it.” I joked.

I saw Dobby’s eyes widen when I called him my friend. He really has broken out of his shell lately. A comfortable silence ensued afterwards. In that time I studied the recipe and steps, while I had no desire to taste vegetation and strange concoctions, I felt a certain pull from the pages, I just couldn’t stop thinking about the ritual.

Dobby interrupted me from my thoughts. “…So…are you thinking about it?” He said softly.

I looked at the house-elf and sighed. “I’ve got no idea Dobby. The more and more I read the procedure I just wonder if I could really do it. Don’t get me wrong, I would love to turn into a sparrow hawk, but I just don’t want to waste my time.” I sighed.

Dobby looked at me and shrugged his shoulders. “You were just complaining about being bored to death earlier, surely trying it out wouldn’t be the end of the world. You might as well go for it, I mean you did end up on this thought for a reason, let us find it out.” Dobby told me.

I laid back in my seat and stared at the ceiling. I groaned when I realized he was right. Even with my lessons and self-study, I had basically unlimited free time. “Dobby you seem to have gained the wisdom of a sage, you sure you’re really Dobby.” I joked and he made a show of being mock-hurt. “Alright, we might as well get this bloody over with.” I let out and got up and made to leave the room.

Dobby raised a brow. “We?” He questioned.

I grinned. “Of course you dolt, who else am I going to make catch moths for me. Don’t worry mate, I’ll get you a pink net as well.” I laughed and made my way out.

Dobby shook his head and soon followed. “Dobby does guess that someone will need to be there to make sure you’re not falling on your arse.” He said with his eyes closed.

I gave him a dry look. “Sir Dobby the gallant is here, catching maidens and men alike.” I said with some sarcasm.

It was his turn to blush. “…Sir Dobby does have a nice ring to it.” He said meekly and I laughed.

Over the next two weeks, Dobby and I explored every nook and cranny of my family’s estate and even ventured into the forest surrounding our manor. The dew seemed easiest to get since all that had to be done was find some water where no light and human has been for a week. As these were my lands, obviously no man had come across it and I just had to find a dark area covered with a thick canopy of leaves. I let the dew drip onto the silver teaspoon that I nicked from the kitchen. I bottled the mixture up and set out to discover a chrysalis or a cocoon of the moth. Truth be told, even though these moths were seemingly common in these parts, it was bloody difficult finding one when you didn’t even know what it looked like. Though all the times when I saw some flying in the distance and called upon Dobby to catch it, made my time worthwhile, it was still comical to replay the memories of the little elf jumping surprisingly high distances to catch what seemed like a moth but was a bird instead.

Eventually, we did get all the ingredients when Dobby revealed he could’ve just found one anytime he wanted. When I asked annoyed why he didn’t do so earlier, he actually smirked and told me that I hadn’t asked if he could. I was so shocked I started laughing. When we got home, we were lucky that the full moon was the next day so begrudgingly I placed the leaf in my mouth and almost gagged at the taste. It tasted of moist soil and of fuzzy peach. Dobby had taught me a trick to keep the leaf in my mouth, he told me to keep it under my tongue and when I slept I had to adjust the leaf with my tongue without taking it out of my mouth to reposition it to the side I was sleeping. Snape’s book thankfully gave some tips on making the process a bit easier. I was on a strict liquid-only diet for the first two weeks. It was really awkward holding the leaf firmly in place with my tongue while I tried to drink, I almost choked a few times, but luckily didn’t spit out the leaf. When the month was up, at the full moon I placed the leaf into a crystal phial while it took in the rays of moonlight. I plucked a hair from my head and added it into the phial. I placed the wispy wrapping and dew and put it in my cellar.

I had to wait for a storm and it was probably coming soon. “Well, we got to wait for a storm which says it might take years sometimes…so I’ll meet you in a few hours.” I said.

Dobby stopped in his tracks. “Excuse Dobby master, but did you say that we might have to wait years, then say to meet up in the evening.” He asked with confusion.

I gave him a shit-eating grin. “Mate we’re in the bloody home of storms, the great nation of England. Where the clouds darken the sky all day only to rip apart and piss on us from above.” I revealed to him.

His eyes widened momentarily and he smacked himself in the face. “How did Dobby…never mind. Well, you would make for an interesting tourist guide, pointing to places and telling them why it is overrated.” He let out.

I ignored him. “Come to the cellar when a storm happens, I’ll see you then.” I said while going to my room to take a nap since I was mysteriously drowsy.

As the lids of my eyes came together as one, I was plunged into the shadowy depths of my own mind and palace. When one usually rests their eyes, they expect darkness, however, when I closed my eyes I was greeted with a bright light as if someone turned the lights on. In the landscape that was my mind wispy shadows seemed to dance in the air, which soon created smoke of the blackest kind. To combat the sudden darkness a fire was lit in the distance. All around me spears of wood seemed to rise from the dirt around me, creating a path in their wake. I could now see around me and what I saw was a forest.

It was intriguing, to say the least, I never had a dream of something so serene as a forest and nature before, only fire. Serene was not the word to describe the land I had found myself in, it was a forest, yes, but it seemed off. The air seemed naturally cold, blowing what seemed like icy winds around me. It was dark from the thick tree leaves like the tall trees around me had consumed me whole and I was roaming around in a belly. Sounds around me were eerie and something that was unnatural. I didn’t realize it at first, but it was actually a lack of sound that scared me so. Everywhere you could travel there would be at least some songs of animals in the distance. This place seemed devoid of life and I shivered at the thought of being truly alone.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and decided to venture into the unknown. As I walked the path, I came across all manner of strange trees, they seemed like they were stuck into poses as if each were a gargoyle hidden ready to grab you with a branch and hang you. I made sure not to touch the roots of the trees. Suddenly a scream was heard in the distance. The sudden noise had me thunderstruck and clutching my body tight in fear. I felt goosebumps mar my skin and sweat cloud my brow. I wanted to go back, no I need to go back.

I tried turning around, I did with all my might, but I was stuck. Outside somehow I was not hyperventilating, but inside I was. Suddenly my body made to move of its own violation. As my body moved possessed, I was booted from control and was made a spectator. I watched my body move and was extremely scared. If I did not have control over my body, then who did? Valleys and bushes seemed to disappear as my body reached a clearing in the forest.

I came across a shadowy figure and a faceless child. I moved about the clearing, but I seemed invisible to the occupants of the clearing. I stepped over and accidentally cracked a fallen branch, which caused the man to whip his head towards me. The moonlight beamed and seemed to illuminate his face. I drank in the appearance of the man before me, he was naught but a shadow except for his head. His head seemed like someone had poured molten bronze over his face, melting his flesh and dyeing his skull bronze and silver. Strange wispy lines adorned his face. Two eyeholes were seen, but nothing but darkness was seen in them. A mask, it seemed, a shadow hiding behind a shadow. As the man searched the clearing he seemed to not notice me and soon turned his attention back to the child before him.

The child’s face had a shadowy blur coating it. His hair was black as night and had a slightly chubby body. The man seemed to have caused him harm as he attempted to escape from his grasp, but the man was resolute. His back was turned to me and I did not notice my body move forward. I knelt before the ground and grabbed a branch and snapped it clean off the tree. My body plunged the stake of wood into the ground, swallowing it whole. I pushed down on the wood till the tip was beneath the dirt, then I plunged both my hands deep into the ground. I felt myself get cut and bleed blood red as wine, suddenly I pulled the stick from the ground. As my hands freed themselves they coiled around the base of the bloodied wood and pulled. Lights shined and glimmered as a song of steel was heard from the ground. As I pulled, more and more of what seemed like a blade came to the light. Finally, it was out and I glanced at the slightly red blade. It was not heavy, or rather I did not feel any weight from it, but that could be because I did not currently have control over my body.

I moved forward with the blade raised high and I crept up behind the man before me. He made a move to strangle the child and in that instance, I reacted. My blade was like the winds of winter, deadly and fast. I penetrated deep into the belly of the man and it passed through to the other side. A wet gurgling sound was heard and the boy seemed to fall to the ground. I let go of the blade and the man turned around to face me. I looked at his face and there was no mask only a shadowy blackened face. You could not make out his features but could see the basic structure. The eyeholes were like a black hole, intent on trying to swallow you whole. His mouth was open wide and blood seemed to drip out from it. He took hold of me for a brief second and then fell to the ground. The blade was still embedded in him, as I turned my gaze to the child I noticed the man catch on fire and burn black. I worried for the child, but it seemed like the flames did not target him only the man.

As I walked over to the corpse, I noticed blood pouring out of him feeding the earth around him with a tainted meal. By the body, a flower stood. It was pale blue, the colour of frost. The air around the flower seemed to be that of a different temperature than the forest. As it swayed in the air I noticed thorns along the stem, waiting to prick the fingers of men and drink deeply of spilled blood.

I looked at the pool of blood and noticed it was drowning the flower. The blood turned the blue rose into something sinister. I had little time to contemplate what as the surroundings seem to get foggy at first and then smoke filled the air. The borders of my vision were getting cloudy. Soon fire engulfed the forest and the plane that I found myself in was shattered. As I felt the flames lick my skin, I was jolted awake.

“Master! Master! The time has come, the sky has rumbled, lightning has appeared, we must go at once to the cellar to retrieve the vial. Your book said we need to go to it immediately, we need to make haste.” He exclaimed dramatically.

Even though I was still feeling delirious, I knew I had no time to ponder on the strange vision I was gifted in my slumber. The ritual needed to be completed at once. I got up and stumbled slightly, Dobby reached out and grabbed hold of me and helped me regain my balance. “Quick Dobby, we must hurry.” I said as I ran out of the room, Dobby hot on my trail.

We ran towards the cellar and in my bated breath, I opened the door and took notice of the phial. Almost immediately I grit my teeth and squeezed my hands tight and hard till my knuckles turned white.

Dobby placed a hand on my shoulder. “Tis okay young master, the book did say that it was extremely complicated, perhaps next time.” Dobby offered quietly. Before me in the phial was a milky white liquid with plant material. It was not the blood-red of success.

I looked at him and gave him a glare, but when I saw him whimper under my gaze I felt bad. “I-I’m sorry Dobby. I did not mean to take it out on you, it’s just that it’s extremely frustrating that I spent all this time on this stupid potion…” I took hold of the phial and threw it across the room. As it smashed against the stone wall, it shattered, raining dust upon the ground. “…and I have yet to taste of fruits of my labour.” I let out bitterly.

Dobby approached me slowly. “Surely you can try again, Dobby means you actually managed to complete the ritual in the first try and even if it didn’t work that has to count for something right?” He tried to cheer me up.

I sighed and rubbed my face. “I don’t even know where the hell I went wrong. I followed everything to the letter and then some. How can I try again when I don’t even know what I did wrong?” I told him.

Dobby seemed to get more confident as he grabbed hold of me. “Then try again. Find out yourself what went wrong.” He said intently.

I stared at him. “And with what shall I make this potion of. Dobby I don’t mean to be rude, but where the hell am I going to get another mandrake leaf from? The book has sung songs of its rarity, it won’t be something that we can just stumble upon in the woods.” I informed him.

He broke contact for but a second and then looked back at me. “Your father.” He said suddenly.

I raised my brow. “My father? What does he have to do with this?” I asked confused.

Dobby nodded. “Yes your father, if you were to ask him, surely he would buy you a dozen leaves, after all, he isn’t one to count coppers.” Dobby suggested.

I thought about it for a moment, then immediately shook my head no. “That’s not an option Dobby, I don’t exactly want my father to know what I am planning on doing.” It’s not that I didn’t trust my father, it was just that he was a little prideful in his nature. He might play a game of cards with some colleagues at work and while discussing their children he would no doubt want to one-up the others and boast of my accomplishments. I cannot risk the wrong people catching wind of my desire to hold the form of an animal. The ministry was so corrupt that it could end up being used against me somehow. Besides being an animagus was said to be the ultimate disguise and why would I want to reveal it so soon.

As I lowered my head in defeat Dobby spoke up. “Dobby is sorry that it did not go as planned, but you cannot keep on mulling over this master.” He snarled slightly, surprising me greatly as I had never seen him act aggressively before. “You need to get a grip on yourself!” He exclaimed. “Do not worry about the leaf, if it came once then surely if it is meant to be it will return once more. Now come, let us return to the manor before the storm starts getting nasty. Your mother will have a fit if you get sick.” He ordered and grabbed hold of me and we left the cellar behind.

As I watched the rain fall onto the ground, time seemed to move by and days turned into weeks and soon it had been a month since the failure. Over the weeks I tried distracting myself, but when I laid in bed at night, my failure always clouded my thoughts and left me with a hunger, an insatiable desire to not just be, I had to fix this. It was on a cloudy day where my father ran into me.

“Draco, by the gods, what the hell are you doing here moping in the corner? If you have time to stare into space then you have time to get ready for the soirée. Merlin knows your mother would never let you outside the house in those…garbs. Put on something decent before people start thinking that you’re a Weasly.” My father admonished me slightly and shivered briefly at the mention of the gingers.

I looked down at my shirt and stared at the fictional characters from a story I did not care to know. Wearing robes all the time did get boring so I did try to mix my style up, the only problem was that there wasn’t a whole lot of choice in what I could find. The shirt was only something Anna came across by accident somewhere. “Yes father, I’ll be right down.” I said as I sighed.

My family was one of the most, if not the most, influential families in our society, so of course, we would often attend high-class events. This evening we were meant to go to a fundraiser for the less fortunate wizarding kids and those that lost their parents in the last war. I didn’t really like going to these events as everyone there seemed to wear masks and were more fake than an actor on a stage. They lulled you with their honeyed words only to talk gossip about you behind your back.

I sighed and decided to get changed after all moping around was doing me no favours. Hours passed and soon enough I found myself right in the middle of a lush garden with hundreds of guests mingling and dancing slowly around me. I sighed as I walked over to the punch bowl and poured myself a drink. As the liquid danced down my throat, I saw a blur of black in the corners of my eyes.

As I turned around getting ready to act for the guest, I seemed to breathe out a breath of relief when I saw who had decided to join me. “I always hated events like these ones. The cause may be noble, but the people in it are anything but. I probably wouldn’t even be here among these lords and ladies if not for your father, why he seems to drag me to these events will always be beyond me.” Snape drawled out as he raised his tumbler to his lips. As the yellowish-brown liquid touched his lips, I saw him recoil for but a second then dropped his shoulders in bliss.

I eyed the people around me and smiled back at him. “Aye, this lot does seem pretty snotty, no doubt they’ll start praising themselves again and give awards to each other.” I told him. I seemed to relax a bit as someone familiar to me was giving me company.

Snape nodded and took another deep sip. A comfortable silence ensued between us as we watched the fools around us play games with each other. After a while, I noticed Snape wanted to say something. “So…Draco, how goes your studies, last time we spoke you did express some interest in the old ways of potioneering, did you by chance try your hand at it.” He asked me in a cool voice.

When he saw my gagged expression he chuckled lightly. “I would say that you did indeed try it out. Yes, not many possess the temperament to handle the steps needed.” He told me and I could see his lips quiver up slightly. “I remember when I first tried my hand at it, the experience was…interesting, to say the least. To this day I still avoid peppermint tea.” He revealed and I could see him shiver ever so slightly.

I laughed a little bit, but the talk of potions only served to remind me of my failure. My shoulders seemed to slump and my eyes were downcast. “Aye, I can imagine.” I responded to him in a sad voice.

Snape seemed to take immediate notice of the change of demeanor in me. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. “Alright, what is it?” He questioned me.

My face whipped around to meet his. “W-what?” I asked startled.

He opened his eyes and looked at me. “You very well know what I am talking about Draco. Now tell me why you look like a kicked puppy. You’re starting to look like a bloody Hufflepuff.” He told me.

I was taken aback. Snape noticed that I was out of it, he had excellent observational skills no doubt from his years as a spy. He knew how to read people like a book. “I-I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m completely fine.” I stuttered out.

Snape seemed to narrow his stare at me. “Last chance boy, lie again and I’ll ask your father. Now reveal to me what holds your heart hostage and your mind caged.” Snape warned in a serious voice.

I hesitated slightly but realized if Snape truly wanted to find out, there was no stopping him. He was probably the best wizard in the world at the mind arts and even though I knew he wouldn’t stoop so low to look around in a child’s mind, one that he was a godfather of, I couldn’t risk him trying to peek into my head. I sighed and rubbed my head. “…I messed up on making a potion and I cannot stop thinking of the failure.” I revealed to him.

Snape raised a brow. “Is that all? Why not just try again? You do know that even adults screw up on potions right? It is nothing to be ashamed of, after all, failure will only make success that much more desirable.” He told me trying to lift my spirits.

I groaned internally. “I can’t try again.” I told him.

Snape looked at me like I was a puzzle. “And why not?” He asked.

I winced. “I-I don’t have the ingredients to start over again.” I told him softly and knew I sounded like an idiot.

Snape looked like he wanted to smack me with a newspaper. “And you couldn’t just ask your father to get you what you needed? If it was for academic purposes he would surely give you what you needed.” He suggested like he was giving me common knowledge.

He saw my expression on my face and narrowed his stare. “I-I can’t tell him…you can’t tell him. This has to be done by myself.” I informed him with shaky breaths.

He closed his eyes and took deep breaths in and out. He stared at me with a deadly expression and I faltered under his gaze. “This time only…” He began with a slightly annoyed expression. “And only this time, will this happen.” He told me and I became confused. “Tell me what you need and I will get it for you.” He demanded of me.

I was shocked by this solution and offer, so much so that the words slipped off my tongue. “M-mandrake leaf. That is what I need.” I let out weakly.

He looked at me in an odd light then nodded. “Hogwarts has just harvested a group of mandrakes, taking a leaf or two would not be missed. I’ll try to give you one when next I visit.” He informed me.

My stomach had a fluttery feeling to it. Like if you were to see a loved one or accomplish something great. The chance at redemption granted me that feeling and more and I become emotional in my thoughts. “Thank you.” I said softly, almost a whisper.

He turned away. “So where did you mess up on? Was it keeping it in your mouth or the dew?” He asked.

My head whipped around in shock at his question. “How?” I asked wide-eyed.

He smirked a bit. “There is only one recipe in that book that the mandrake leaf would be needed that could possibly appeal to children. Somehow I very much doubt you have become a healer and wish to create paralysis antidote. Why idiot children have the desire to turn into monkeys and dogs, I have no clue. What is the point in chasing your tail all day, it seems like something the Weasly family would do on a Sunday night.” He revealed to me and I chuckled slightly at the Weasly jape.

I brightened up and told him of my tale. I told him about the process and how I went about it. In the end, he was slightly amused as if he knew exactly what I did wrong. “It’s a common mistake. You see many people often think the hardest part of the ritual is keeping the mandrake leaf in one’s mouth for the moon cycle like the idiots they are, however, it is actually the dew that is the most difficult part. You need to collect the dew in a silver teaspoon and place it directly in the potion, do not ever bottle it. That means you would need to harvest the dew at the time when you take your leaf out of your mouth. This is extremely hard as you need to be in a place where the full moon rays hit the potion, yet the dew must be collected in a place with no light. To further add to this you would not be able to send a fellow man to help you out as the place the dew must be collected in a place where no human has been for a week, so that would mean that you would need to get someone non-human to retrieve it or somehow be in an impossible location where there is darkness and light. After this, you must leave the potion in the area where the moonlight hit the phial, but it must be in a place that is darkened by the shadows and night for heat and light bring great risks and mutations to the potion. Overall it is very little reward for all the work needed. That is the true reason why so many give up on this ritual, as no one has time to spend years on brewing a potion. People need to eat and put food on their tables and running around in the forest as a monkey will not provide that…unless you were to join a circus perhaps.” Snape revealed to me.

I was thunderstruck and thought about what he had said. It made sense to me in a way, my body seemed to tingle in joy as I found out what had made the potion fail. “Snape sir…thank you for everything, I really appreciate you being my godfather.” I told him.

Snape looked at me oddly and smiled. “Draco when we are alone like this, it is okay to call me by my name, Severus.” He told me.

I nodded slightly and grinned a little. “I’ll try Sn-Severus.” I let out while fidgeting slightly. Merlin was it weird to call Snape by his given name.

He chuckled slightly and looked to the crowd. He then pushed me forward. “Alright go on then, try to enjoy this dreary party.” He said while walking away to meet with some of the adults who called for him.

I stood back and just processed what had happened in the last few moments and I started to laugh. I had come to this party as a distraction from my woes and yet it seemed to have resolved my issue and more. As my eyes analyzed the crowd I sighed. At this moment I wanted to be alone for a bit and just think to myself in peace and quiet. I made my way around crowd and around the building. I decided to visit the other garden on the other side of the party. As I made my way around, more and more sounds died around me and soon I was left with an eerie silence. I wanted peace, but I still did expect the chirping of birds, so it was odd to not hear of them. As the silence dragged on, I could feel goosebumps travel up my arms. I was about to turn back, but a muffled whimper caught my ears and had me hooked.

I knew I should have probably turned around and gone back, after all, if something was happening it was none of my business and if anything sinister was at work, I did not want the ire of the cause of it. I slowly trekked across the bushes making sure to not make any noise and soon enough I came across a clearing.

In the clearing stood two individuals, a man grown old and a boy young. The man’s face was withered from age and held deep lines and creases. He held a natural frown as his groomed and slicked-back gray hair swayed slightly from a breeze of air. The boy was chubby and had dark hair, he seemed familiar, but I could not place him, could we have met at another party? I did not know and was halted from my thoughts as the man spoke up.

The man grabbed hold of the boy and held him in a deadly grip. He seemed to be holding the boy near a balcony as if his intentions were not pure. “Stop whining Neville, the sooner this is done, the sooner we can prove to your grandmother that you truly indeed possess the gift of magic.” He let in a raspy voice.

When I heard the man refer to the boy as Neville my eyes widened incredibly and in that momentary lapse I misplaced my foot and snapped a fallen twig in half. I quickly dived into the bushes and felt my heart beating like it was the drums of war. I could see the man look around the clearing for a bit, then he focused his attention back at the child before him.

He gripped Neville tighter and pushed him right next to the balcony, one more step and Neville would plunge to his death. Neville seemed to whimper and whine in his grasp. I could see tears pool up in his eyes and his cheeks redden from the fear that he was feeling. “P-please uncle Algie, I don’t want to do this.” He cried out softly in his shaky breaths, begging his uncle to show him mercy.

As the identity of the man was revealed to me, my body seemed to feel like it was on fire. I suddenly had a bad idea of what was going on here. Neville was the heir to the Longbottom family and the next in line to be lord. This man being his relative would be below him in the line of succession. Was I to witness a murder? I paled at the thought.

The man smiled a toothy smile at the boy, but his eyes were anything but gentle. “Neville come on now, you don’t want to disappoint your grandmother do you? Do you want to sully your father’s image, how do you think he would feel if you didn’t share his gift.” He told the boy trying to pressure him and convince him of his ridiculous plan. “Magic is often triggered in life and death situations, but don’t worry I won’t tell a soul that we had to resort to this to bring out your magic.” He muttered darkly.

I could see Neville hyperventilating and heard the man cackle. I could not just stand back and let things be, I could never forgive myself if I had the chance to save Neville and chose to ignore it due to my own selfish thoughts of self-preservation. As I looked at the battlefield, my thoughts were on how I could do anything. I had knowledge of only a few spells and none of them could help me at this moment. I had the option to attack the man, but that would leave Neville without any support and he would plunge to his death. If I tried to save Neville than the man would notice me and probably attack me too. My heart was beating like a drum and for the life of me, I could not decide on what to do.

As I surveyed the garden my eyes lingered on a tree for a few moments. It caught my eye because it was so strange in nature. I had never set my eyes on something so weird and menacing. It was thick and wide with thick branches and did not grow so tall. Blood-red leaves seemed to cover the ashy wood. However, it was the center of the tree that really caught my eyes. At first, I had thought that they were simple holes in the tree that a squirrel or bird may have dug to provide shelter, but as I stared at the tree I could see it was not so. I could feel the hairs of my skin stand up as I looked into the face of the tree. It had a face carved in it, whether naturally or unnaturally I did not know, just that it seemed like it was looking at me as well. Its eyes seemed to be like a milky white wood with red streams rolling down from them. The mouth seemed like it was sinister as it smiled right at me as if it were taunting me. Its mouth had a red sap seeping out of it and it dripped from the corner of its mouth. It was eerie and looked so unnatural it looked like the tree was bleeding its blood from its mouth.

As the sap dripped my eyes naturally followed where it landed and I became short of breath as a vision from the past seemed to come to life. On the ground laid a flower, one that was a pale blue colour. As the sap dripped, it seemed to coat the flower slightly red and I stood back agape. The similarities to the vision I had were too much to fathom. I suddenly felt my wand wiggle in my hands as if it were trying to escape from my grasp. As I held the bloodied stick in my hands it seemed to point to the face of the tree.

I did not even realize that I got up, but I subconsciously made my way to the tree and stared at the face for a few seconds. My wand seemed restless as I got closer. Curiosity had caused me to raise my wand to the face and after a moment I plunged my wand right into the bleeding mouth of the tree. Almost immediately I was booted from my trance as a rumble and a quake was heard beneath the ground.

I watched as the roots of the tree seemed to come to life and twisted and turned in its wake. Like a snake they slithered through the ground and reached near to the balcony, they seemed to coil slowly around the boy and the man and when Algie noticed something was wrong, it was already too late. It squeezed them tight like a deadly viper would its meal. This seemed to be too much for Neville and he passed out. As I heard Algie shout and scream as he attempted to escape his prison, I made my way to him.

He glared at me as I shuffled through his cloak and found his wand holster and pulled it free. I stood back to look at the man. “What the hell do you think you are doing boy!” He spat venomously. “Do you have any idea who I am?” He warned me.

I met his glare with my own. The roots seemed to have released Neville and rested him by the foot of the tree. “What am I doing, what the hell are you doing you bastard!” I shouted at him, my face red with fury.

He snarled and spit a glob at me. “You’re that shits son aren’t you? A junior death eater just like your traitorous father. Draco Malfoy it is not wise to attack a lord.” He threatened me.

My face was unyielding. “You are no lord Algie, Neville is the next in line and the true Lord Longbottom. You dare claim lordship and try to usurp your own nephew, you bastard.” I spat in his face and held my wand to his throat. “You shall never be Lord Longbottom.” I said slowly while glaring at him in his eyes. “Do not attempt to rise above your station, you bastard!” I snarled out.

Algie made an extremely ugly face and he grit his teeth hard. His eyes were wide and bloodshot. “You little shit! You think you can get away with talking to me like that!” He snarled as his face got red.

I held his stare. “You shall address me as Lord Malfoy you bastard. I have not granted you leave to call me anything but.”

He glared at me deadly. “…Release me at once. I will not ask again.” He warned me.

I shook my head at him, denying him. “No Algie, you shall remain here, we’re going to remain like this till Augusta sees you for the traitorous bastard that you are.” I told him and he started breathing heavily.

Suddenly a groan was heard from a distance and my head whipped around and noticed Neville stirring in his sleep. It seemed that my momentary distraction was all Algie needed and he somehow loosened his arms enough to reach into his sleeves and pull out a second wand. Almost immediately my eyes widened and I jumped out of the way as fire erupted from his wand, burning his restraints.

As we stood in the clearing, we held both of our wands aimed at each other. Time seemed to slow down as the adrenaline that was being pumped into me was at work. I looked into the eyes of the demon before me and met his glare head-on, he suddenly smiled at me. “Smart wizards always make sure to carry their wand with them at all times…a wise wizard makes sure to carry a second.” He revealed.

I grit my teeth and made to retort, but the sounds of commotion were heard in the garden. Neville was almost awake and the footsteps of people were heard. No doubt they heard the fiery explosion only moments earlier and came to investigate. Algie turned his head to Neville. “What do you think all those people will say when they see you holding a wand to my face, after all, you did attack me.” He stopped and pointed at the burns and cuts that marred his skin. “You see all this…this is proof that you attacked a kindly old man while he was trying to help his nephew out…at least that is what it’ll look like.” He muttered darkly and chuckled.

I gripped my wand so hard that my palm started to bleed from my nails digging into my skin. The bastard was right, it did look bad and Neville was knocked unconscious and would probably be too afraid to speak against his uncle if he even remembered what happened here. “You conniving evil twisted bastard! You are nothing more than a kin-slayer.” I spat out as I quickly hid my wand when guests started pouring into the clearing.

I saw that Algie had put away his own wand and was walking over to Neville. Augusta seemed to be asking him what happened and he told her that he almost fell off a cliff, but that I managed to catch him and save him. When he told her that I had to bite my tongue as he smirked at me.

The woman in question came over to me. “So is it true boy, did you save my Neville?” She asked of me seriously. Staring at me to see if I would lie.

I looked back at Algie and then her. “…Yes…” I let out weakly.

She stared at me for a moment or two then grabbed hold of me and held me in a death grip. “Then I thank you, boy. You have saved the life of the heir of my family and I am indebted to you, call upon me when trouble ails you so.” She told me and went back to hold Neville and started comforting him.

Algie smirked at the outcome and made his way over to me. He placed his hand on my shoulder and whispered in my ear. “You are a child not grown and yet you have the gall to try your hand at this game. You have yet to sit at the table and yet you call yourself a player.” He caressed my cheek with his hand. “Don’t try to get too cocky…in this game accidents and unfortunate things seem to happen to those who are not ready for them.” He warned me as he left me alone and made his way back to his family and seemed to hug Neville.

As his back was turned to me, I had a sudden thought that made me pale up. I became jittery of the thought that crossed my mind. My thoughts went back to the vision as the man with the mask seemed to become Algie. I suddenly thought of a much darker past, in which a younger Algie betrayed his own kin and sold Neville’s parents to the dark lord. As I stared at the man, I felt fear enter my mind. What lengths was Algie truly capable of going to become lord, I wondered.

In the distance, I did not notice the sap still falling from the tree and hitting the flower. As the breeze picked up a bloodied-red flower stood at the foot of the strange tree.


	5. Fire and Blood

“Please! I beg of you Draco, I’m going to fall off!” Neville cried out as he gripped his broom in a vice-like grip.

I shook my head at the display and scoffed lightly. “Neville, for Merlin’s sake, you’re only five feet above the ground! If you’re going to fall then you will probably just end up on your feet.” I shouted at him from across the field. “Worst case scenario you just land on your arse and feel like you got a spanking or two.” I japed lightly.

Neville’s eyes seemed to shut themselves closed. “I-I don’t want to get spanked.” Neville whimpered out in shaky breaths. “G-Gran said only bad boys get spankings, I-I’m a good boy, I swear it!” Neville cried out.

I flew over to him in an instant. “Neville, you got to get a grip on yourself, mate. It’s not that bad, here let me show you.” I told him trying to calm down the lad. I flew right next to him so that we were side-by-side. “Grab my hand.” I said and he managed to open his eyes just enough to locate my position. As I took hold of his hand, I made a mental command and my broom started to descend towards the field below us. Neville’s broom seemed to follow its peer and came down as well.

As the soles of our feet touched the ground, Neville jumped off his vessel and seemed to prostrate before the ground, kissing and singing songs of dirt and all its holy qualities in keeping children safe. I stepped forward as his eyes slightly watered. “Really Neville? Come on it wasn’t that bad, it sure was much better than the first time wasn’t it?” I chuckled as I rubbed his back.

Neville turned around and greeted me with a slight glare. “I almost died and you’re standing there laughing.” He let out theatrically, raising his arms and all.

I raised a brow. “Come on Neville, even you got to admit you’re stretching that just a bit. Besides the sooner you get this down you’ll finally be able to soar in the skies like any proper wizard should and I’ll finally get someone to play quidditch with.” I said that last part with some passion, gripping my fist and shaking it to the sky above.

Neville groaned and opened his mouth to complain. “If people were meant to fly then we would have been born with wings Draco! Flying in the sky is meant for the bloody birds. Also who thought it would be a good idea to use a broom, it doesn’t even have a seat!” Neville cried out with wide eyes.

I rolled my eyes. If there was one thing Neville didn’t lack, it was expression. “Aye, perhaps you too shall sprout a pair.” I joked. “Merlin knows it would make this that much easier.” I muttered while shaking my head.

As I looked at the slightly less chubby child before me, I smiled as I thought back on how far he had come. Breaking him out of his shell was slightly hard at the beginning, but thanks to Augusta threatening to turn him into a toad, he broke out quite comically. After the unfortunate incident at that party, Augusta invited me over to their manor and told me that I was welcome to drop by literally anytime. She told me how she did worry about her grandchild and how she did not want him to grow up to be a recluse. She told me how she tried to get Neville to socialize, but since Neville was too shy to open up to others, people would often leave Neville be as they were children which are not known for their empathy. She revealed to me how it would break her heart every time she would see Neville start to open up to someone and then the other party would just get bored and leave him be to find more exciting friends. When she started to apologize for her selfishness in foisting Neville on me, even I got a little emotional. I promised her on that night that I would take care of Neville and keep him by my side and maybe even take him on a few adventures.

I have not seen Algie since the party. Either he lived elsewhere or he was smart enough to not push his luck in front of me. Funny enough, even though his intent was anything but pure, the whole incident did actually cause Neville to perform his first bit of magic. What was even funnier was that nobody even realized it till after a few hours later when one of his house-elves noticed his state of dress. Apparently they were not amused when they found his blue silk robes suddenly brown in colour. I guess his magic responded to the threat he was in by blending him into the environment. I think the whole house laughed for hours after we realized what happened. It was such a ‘Neville’ thing to have happened.

It had been a few months now and only now did I manage to convince Neville to try flying. When Augusta found out that I was trying to teach Neville how to fly, she bought us two new shiny brooms and told us to go wild. When I tried to refuse her offer, she waved me off saying it wouldn’t even make a dent in her coffers and that the investment would be more than worth it seeing us have fun with each other. I guess it was good to be a noble at times.

As I chuckled, Neville seemed to pout and came over to me. “What are you laughing about?” Neville let out grumpily.

I laughed and shook myself out of my memory and back to the present. “Nothing Nev, just thinking about the past.” I said while closing my eyes and then staring at him. After a few moments, my smile seemed to be infectious as it made Neville’s frown quiver upwards. I fell on the ground and laid in the green grass, swaying my arms and legs to find the perfect position to relax. I grabbed a blade of grass and seemed to chew on it releasing its essence of peace within me.

Neville smirked at my actions and joined me in gazing at the sky. “You know this is quite nice, as long as you’re not in the sky this place is quite nice.” Neville sighed as he chewed on a blade of straw. I smirked as I saw Neville chew on the plant. One thing that became a habit of mine was to chew on plants for comfort. It seemed that all my work on making potions actually made me associate peacefulness with chewing plants. At first, when I got my wand it was quite nice to not chew and put plants into my mouth, but as time moved on I began to feel a bit of nostalgia. So one day I just chewed on a blade of grass and the habit stuck ever since. What was funny was that of all the things Neville could have picked up in my time with him, it was my habit of chewing on plants. I guess the Longbottom genes are strong in him.

As the clouds danced with each other in the sky I pulled out a flute from my robes. As the air created vibrations, shaking the instrument, a melody was heard in the field. Birds and animals seemed to be attracted to the songs produced from the bamboo stick. Neville closed his eyes in bliss and nature around us celebrated as one big family. Squirrels shared their bounty with birds and birds seemed to lift the little critters higher in the sky. In this moment everyone was happy.

The birds seemed to chirp adding vocals to the song. Squirrels and rabbits scratched and chewed on wood, creating percussion to the mix. Males seemed to approach the females and asked for a dance. As the animals danced in the air leaving love and passion in their wake, the conclusion of the song seemed to take hold. As the last few breaths escaped my mouth and tongue, time seemed to stand still as each partner held one another close to finish their rituals. Then at once masses of shadows seemed to cloud the sky and ground as the guests returned to their families and homes.

I heard clapping beside me which caused me to open an eye. “That was beautiful, Draco. It’s times like these which really make me appreciate life.” Neville said as he wiped a tear from his eye.

I smirked at him and plucked a blade of grass from around us and started to chew on it. “Don’t expect an encore or anything, even stars need their rest.” I joked.

As we laid on the soft grass, a comfortable silence enveloped us. Neville seemed to fidget in his place as he stared at the clouds above him. “Thank you, Draco.” Neville said in an almost inaudible voice. “Thank you for everything.” Neville said while tearing up.

I looked over at him and stretched my arm and smacked him lightly on the shoulder. “Hey, that’s what friends are for, to cheer their mates up and put them in slightly life-threatening situations.” I laughed which caused Neville to shake his head at me and soon joined in.

As the minutes passed, I soon felt it was time to get back to the task at hand. As I got up, Neville looked over to me. “Alright, that’s enough of a break. Anymore lazing around and we’ll become Weasleys.” I japed slightly.

Neville laughed a bit and then groaned when he realized he had to fly again. He grabbed a few red leaves and wore it on his head like a crown. “Do we have to Draco, I mean with these leaves on my head I kind of look like a Weasley, don’t I get a pass?” He asked with some hope in his eyes.

I laughed at his antics, it seemed like more of my personality was rubbing off on him than I originally thought. I seemed to put a finger on my chin and look in the distance as if I were in deep thought. “Hmm, let me think. Nope.” I said denying him while popping the ‘p’.

As Neville moped, I grabbed our brooms and tossed him his broom. “Now get your arse on that broom and let’s get started. By the gods, I will have someone to play quidditch with and it shall be soon.” I shouted at him and the sky with extreme passion.

He looked at me in disbelief for a second and then shook his head chuckling slightly. “The things I do.” He muttered and took hold of his broom.

I smiled as I mounted my broom. “Now what I want you to visualize is your broom being a part of you, an extra appendage if you will. The broom subconsciously knows your wants and desires and shall follow your commands. When you are scared and want to ground yourself the broom will become conflicted as its desire to fly and your desire to stay on the ground will battle each other. The stronger resolve will win and you might not have control. Just calm down and take it one step at a time. I’m right beside you, besides Dobby is watching somewhere in the field. If anything were to happen, he would interfere right away. Now let’s start once more, ok.” I revealed in a serious manner.

Neville seemed to tense up as he absorbed the knowledge revealed to him like a sponge. He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths in and out. “Ok, let’s do this Draco.” He said with resolve in his eyes.

I stared at him for a moment and then nodded at him. “Now mount your broom as you would a steed. Treat it with respect and it shall respect you.” I said and he nodded vigorously and mounted his broom. “Ask it kindly to lend its power and to dance with you in your mind, you shall know the answer when you attempt to fly. Before you ask, many wizards and witches are not passionate about brooms and flying, they treat them as tools, but with magic, even ordinary items have a willpower and possess the desire for respect and happiness. Forcing a broom to fly with your willpower will make you a good flier, maybe even a strong flier, but you shall never become a true flier.” I revealed to him and his eyes widened. “Treat it as an ally and you shall never fall. Treat it as a friend and you shall gain a friend that will come to your aid in your time of need.” I said while nodding my head.

It seemed Neville became thunderstruck. He gazed at the vessel before him with newfound respect and admiration. “…Wow…I can’t believe…just wow.” Neville let out.

I chuckled as I caressed the tip of my broom, soothing it as if were an animal. “Love is a powerful thing Nev. Love is truly which unites us all together. If only there was more in this world.” I sighed. I looked over to Neville and he seemed to be petting his broom and polishing the mahogany-coloured wood his soft palms, leaving a waxy surface in his wake. I could see the bristles sway slowly in the wind as if were cooing at the attention and care it received. I smiled at his growing passion.

He closed his eyes and when he opened them resolve was in them, burning bright like the sun itself. He surprised me by dismounting his broomstick and placing it in his lap. “What are you doing?” I asked, knowing what he was doing, the same as I did once. It seemed great minds did indeed think alike.

Without opening his eyes, Neville spoke up. “If it requires respect, then I cannot assume anything. Without a sign and permission I shall not mount it, only once it speaks to me shall I ride this vessel.” He spoke softly as if he were in a trance.

I smiled at him and looked at my own broom and caressed it softly. “It looks like you shall soon possess a brother young one.” I said softly to my broom and it seemed to wiggle in joy and anticipation.

As the minutes soon turned to hours, sweat seemed to cloud Neville’s brow, but he did not falter. As I bit into an apple, something seemed to change in the atmosphere and my very own broom seemed to sense it as well. In Neville’s lap, the broom wiggled slightly and soon started to rise of its own violation. As it rose to about three feet in the air, it paused. Just then Neville opened his eyes.

Without saying anything he moved forward towards the broom. He paused slightly making his intent be known. When the broom remained he took hold of the handle and mounted it in one go. I could see slight fear in his eyes as the broom started to slowly rise making sure its rider was safe, but I could also see something else, determination.

As he climbed higher and higher, my broom seemed to get restless as it wanted to join its newborn brother in action. It seemed to wiggle in my grasp, urging me to take flight at once. I chuckled at my broom and soon took hold of it. As I elevated in the air I soon caught up with Neville and our brooms seemed to take over as they danced with one another. The first time Neville looped around in the air, he cried out thinking he would fall, but soon he realized that he remained firmly on the broom. As we looped and looped around the sky, the song of our brooms meeting one another soon came to an end. As the sky started to darken slightly, we began our descent to the ground below us.

Neville was still gripping his broom tight as if he were afraid to fall, but I could see that he was much better than before. “You can let go now Nev. We are at the bottom now.” I chuckled.

He blushed slightly and soon greeted me with a bashful grin. “I can kind of see why you like this so much. It’ll still take some getting used to, but I think this is the start of something. Just what that is, is the real question.” Neville said.

I grinned and made to speak. “Aye it’s the start of something alright, it’s the start of quidditch matches every day from now on.” I let out triumphantly.

Neville groaned while shaking his head. “Somehow I just knew you were going to say that. You do realize me flying in the air a bit and playing a highly competitive, possibly dangerous sport is still a long way off.” He let out in a deadpan voice.

Naturally, his logic fell on deaf ears. “Finally quidditch here I come.” I said to the universe in joy.

Neville shook his head at my childish display and soon joined me in my laughter. “Alright, that’s enough standing idle, we’ve got much work to do, but I shall make a quidditch player out of you yet.” I shouted while raising my fist to the sky. “Now get a move on. Last one to the other side of the field is a Weasley!” I shouted as I flew away.

Neville chuckled as he gripped his broom and flew right after me. “Never change Draco, never change.” He whispered softly to himself.

As the weeks passed by, my ninth birthday soon approached and at that moment while sitting with Neville in my room I sighed. Over the past year, I had wanted to complete the animagus ritual many times, but the leaf that Snape gifted to me was pretty much a treasure at this point. Its rarity meant that the next time I attempted the ritual it had to work, or else I would not be able to procure another leaf. Snape may be my godfather, but even he probably took some heat for gifting me this leaf. Hogwarts, after all, did have its own businesses as well and taking any amount of such valuable stock would earn the ire of the headmaster. He let me know that the headmaster only allowed him to take the leaf because he thought it was for one of his own potions. If he knew it was for a child, which in his eyes would just ruin the leaf he would never have allowed Snape to take it. I did feel slightly bad for putting Snape in that position and possibly depriving him of possibly his share of the stock, but Snape told me it was nonsense. He just told me that I better damn well succeed this time as I knew all the steps required and a student of his better not fail at something twice.

Inspired by his selflessness, I made a vow to him that I would do what it took to achieve my goal. In that moment my passion seemed to overwhelm him and he was at a loss of words. He later told me I looked too much like a damn Gryffindor for his tastes and to knock it off.

Currently, it was fast approaching night and the party that was thrown in my honour had begun to slow to halt. The only remaining guests at this time in the night were a few of my father’s business associates and vassals, as well as Neville to keep me company. We sat in my room, reminiscing on the past year and how far we had come as people. We spoke of our dreams and what we would wish for if we could.

Neville seemed to notice that my mind was amiss and he spoke up. “What are you thinking of Draco? I’ve noticed that lately you’ve been staring into space a lot lately, why is that? I’m here for you, you know that right?” He asked with concern marring his face.

I was launched from my slight daze as I looked the boy in his eyes, I sighed and began to let him in on one of my secrets. “Neville before I reveal to you which is caged within my mind, I need to know that the words will not spill from your mouth into the ear of another.” I told him as I gave him a stoic expression.

He seemed to have straightened in his seat and after a few moments, he nodded vigorously. “I swear it.” He said seriously while not breaking his intense stare.

I kept up the stare for a few more moments and then sighed deeply, closing my eyes and lying down on my bed. “Dobby show him the jar.” I asked and a crack was heard in the room, signaling the arrival of the house-elf.

Neville looked at me in confusion. “A jar?” He asked.

I did not say anything. I just nodded towards Dobby and he passed the jar over to the young boy. As I heard a gasp, I opened my eyes and turned my gaze towards Neville. “I-is that…” He began in shock.

I nodded towards him. As expected Neville being a Longbottom wasn’t just for show. “Yes, it is. A mandrake leaf. I’m pretty sure you know what you can do with one and what I would choose to do with it.” I said.

Neville nodded as if remembering something. “Of course, Gran pretty much nailed that sort of knowledge into my brain as early as I could remember. If I remember correctly with just the leaf you can make quite a few things, but knowing you it could only be the ancient ritual known to turn one into an animal.” Neville revealed to me while shaking his head as if everything was correct.

I hummed briefly. “So I would imagine that you would know the difficulty associated with such a thing.” I said.

Neville nodded. “To Europeans yes, but only because it was not our ritual to begin with. We learned it from the natives of the Americas and the wizards of Africa long ago, but as time passed on, as we gained wands, the ritual lost hold and many secrets were lost to the masses. Only skilled wizards will know the secrets to mastering the ritual instead of just chancing it on luck. The basics are known to all, but the hints and tips are kept secret.” He revealed in an intellectual manner.

I was shocked by Neville’s knowledge on the subject but calmed down after I realized that he was a Longbottom and this would be common knowledge for their house. “Aye, so you can imagine my frustration. I actually did attempt the ritual once, but unfortunately I did not manage to succeed. It was as you said, but my godfather was thankfully very knowledgeable about these sorts of things and I guess he revealed to me which I now know was secret knowledge.” It is not that the ritual is particularly hard, it is just that the steps are difficult to perform. I guess the reason why it was so difficult was that everyone was too petty to make something that they had to work years for easy for another. People would much rather make other people work just as hard as them. “Damn. I’ll really have to do something for Snape one of these days.” I muttered.

He seemed shocked to learn that I not only I had performed the ritual once before, but that I now knew the steps needed. “Somehow I’m not that surprised that of all the people, you would end up with such knowledge.” He sighed.

As I told him of the ritual and the requirements in detail his eyes widened and he seemed to smack himself on the forehead. “Of course, I can see it now. I can only imagine if all the people were to learn of the mistakes they made they would probably hit their heads against a wall.” He said.

I sighed. “Yeah you’re right, but even with that little knowledge I actually managed to complete the ritual correctly excluding the dew. The only problem is where I can find such a place that possesses both light and darkness. I’ve already thought on Dobby retrieving the liquid from me, but the location of such a place still alludes me.” I let out in frustration.

Neville made his way over to me and rubbed my shoulders a bit. “I’m sure we can find someplace, I mean the world is a big place and luckily a magical one at that.” He told me with conviction in his eyes.

I looked at him. “We?” I questioned.

He seemed to get slightly angry at my question. “Yes, we Draco, as in you and I. Don’t think that I’ll just let you run on this crazy adventure on your own. Knowing you, you would probably wander willingly into the face of danger if it helped you achieve success.” He stated while shaking his head at me. “Naturally you’ll need someone with common sense.” He said as a matter of fact.

“Preet, preet.” Terry chirped from the distance as he leaped a great distance and landed on my shoulder.

“Aye, Dobby is with you master.” Dobby nodded while smiling.

I looked thunderstruck at the people around. I began to feel slightly emotional. “You guys…” I let out weakly.

Neville slapped my back as well as Dobby. “We’re a team. A slightly weird team yes, but a team none the less.” Neville told me.

I closed my eyes and put arms around Neville and Dobby, while Terry climbed onto my head. “You know what, you guys are alright.” I said trying to lighten the mood a bit.

As we laughed, we all laid in the bed and stared at the ceiling thinking of the future. Suddenly as Terry bounced and played with my hair, I remembered something. I sat up placing the little guy in my palms. “I’m sorry Terry, it has been so long since I’ve vowed to return you to your home, even for a visit. You must be anxious to meet with your kin.” I apologized to Terry and realized that if anytime would be a good time to return him to his home, it would be around now. In year I would be too busy preparing for the start of Hogwarts and studying for my classes beforehand.

He seemed to bounce around in joy at my suggestion, but soon stopped and slumped his shoulders. I noticed and was quick to lift his spirits. “It can just be a visit, you’re free to stay with me as long as you want to. Perhaps during my school years, you can remain with your family and when I return, I can visit to take custody of you for the summer months. How about it?” I asked.

He seemed to rub his head but soon cheered up at my suggestion. “Preet, preet, preet!” He chirped loudly.

I laughed. “I guess you like my idea. Maybe on the way to your home we can find a spot to perform the ritual.” I suggested mostly joking, but subconsciously I did indeed wish it were true.

Soon after Neville returned home and over the course of the next few days I asked my parents to be able to venture far from our home in order to return Terry to his home. My parents afforded me a great deal of freedom so it was not too hard, but the distance and the time I would be gone still made them hesitant from allowing me to go. Eventually, they relented when I told them that if trouble arose I could just perform magic and aurors would be alerted to my presence to investigate.

Neville did not accompany me on this journey as I was only going to drop Terry off and come back as soon as possible. He also had a matter at Gringotts to deal with, so it was for the best. Dobby originally offered to apparate us directly to his home but found out he could not do so as he had never ventured to where Terry had lived so he could only take us as far as the wilderness of Scotland. He would not be able to accompany us as he could not leave the manor for such a time as it would seem suspicious.

“Alright, young master you take care. Call upon Dobby and he shall appear. Dobby’s soul is bound to house Malfoy so Dobby will hear the young master.” He told me with concern in his eyes. He did not like the idea of me venturing out in the wild on my own.

I smiled at the elf. He had come a long way since I had first met him. “You worry too much Dobby. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. I’ll be back in a day or two, then you can probably just drop me at Neville’s house because I told my parents that I was going to use Neville’s floo to travel to Scotland as he held a link to a property in Scotland. If my parents seem like they’re getting suspicious don’t freak out, I’ve already ironed out the details with the Longbottoms, so they’ll play along.” I told him carefully making sure he knew my plan.

He gave me a deadpan stare and shook his head, sighing. “You’re a handful, Dobby can say that much master.” He said. “Alright be safe.” He said. He stared at me for a moment and then snapped his fingers and disappeared from the field.

Terry used this moment to jump on my head and start to chirp happily. I felt my heart warm itself. “That’s right little guy, we’re one step closer.” I said while brushing my fingers across his head.

We then set out to find his home. Luckily we would not be able to get lost as Terry knew where his home was and could find it even if he landed in someplace unknown. I guess bonding with a tree was useful.

As the hours passed, the bright blue sky soon darkened and a majestic scenery that looked like it was ripped right out of a painting soon enveloped the environment. Stars twinkled, and the chirps of birds could be heard in the distance. Owls awakened for their nightly hunt and added their own flavours into the song around us.

As we trekked through forest and hills alike, we soon approached the beginnings of his territory. For the past hour, I had been feeling like something was amiss. The further we journeyed towards the bowtruckle territory, the quieter it became. Less and less animals ventured towards our destination. It didn’t seem right. Bowtruckles were protective of their trees, yes, but that didn’t mean that every living thing would be scared to venture into their territory.

As we were about a kilometer from our destination I made a decision to stop. Terry looked up at me with his beady eyes, questioning my decision to stop. “Preet?” He cried out confused.

You didn’t have to speak bowtruckle to figure out what he was asking. “Just hold on a minute there Terry. Something’s not right…” I said while looking at the distance with caution.

As I looked ahead I could see what appeared to be shadows in the distance. It almost blended in with the night sky, but I could make it out. I squinted my eyes tight to focus on the strange shadows. “…Is that smoke?” I questioned, suddenly feeling a shiver go through me.

I turned my head towards Terry and he seemed to have frozen in place. I could almost feel how much fear was rising within him. He suddenly paled up and became deathly quiet, almost as if he knew what we were about to find. I swallowed my fear and made a step forward towards the smoke.

The further I walked the clearer the smoke became. The whole time Terry did not even move a muscle, it was as if he were in shock. By now I accepted my fears on what we would undoubtedly find once we passed through to the clearing. We passed charred trees and broken branches. Soot and ash covered the soil turning the brown and green floor, black and grey. As we moved, I could see burnt remains of animals long since expired, only the bones remained which sent a bad feeling through my head. Whatever happened here was not recent.

Finally, only bushes remained in our path. I paused slightly, hesitating to make our fears reality. As I looked at Terry, he only nodded. He had accepted his fears already and he just wanted to confirm it, perhaps due to a sliver of hope still in him. I breathed in and out deeply. As I opened my eyes I pushed against the vegetation and spilled onto the field behind.

What was seen in that moment would probably haunt me for the rest of the night and probably Terry’s whole life. Before us was a field darkened by the remnants of a great fire, so much so that it still burned lightly in some areas. Trees were painted black and the slightest touch would turn them into dust. Across the field carcasses of animals and beasts in different stages of decomposition littered the field. The majority were bones, but the remainder could still kind of be seen. The amount of gore and blood that was caked on the field made me heave slightly, but I held my fear inside. It was obvious that the other animals came here for an easy meal, but the meat had been long tainted by disease so it only served as a last meal for them. What was before us could only be described as a slaughter, a field of fire and ash. A graveyard.

In the middle of the field, a great tree could be seen. It was one of the largest trees I had ever laid my eyes upon. It was no mystery as to which tree Terry’s kin called home. As we approached the burnt and withered tree, we could see what looked like little piles of ash that still held some structure to them. As we came upon a bowtruckle that had been melted into the tree, my legs wavered and I fell to my knees.

Terry slowly fell off me, not registering the pain from the fall as he slowly approached his brethren that now has become one with the tree he once guarded. As he came upon him, Terry caressed his face softly as one would a newborn or a fragile object. As his hand touched the skin of his kin, the body crumbled and turned to dust. A small breeze picked up and blew the remains away. Terry remained still, deathly so. I began to feel his pain and soon found my face slightly wet. I suddenly cried out, which caused Terry to snap from his trance and look over at me. As we stared at one another, Terry seemed to slowly catch up to reality as everything assaulted his mind at once.

His knees buckled and quivered and he dropped to the floor. His body vibrated as if he were cold, but only now did he feel like he was alone truly with no one there to help warm him up. He twitched and fell to the ground clutching his knees in a fetal position. He rocked back and forth as he began to cry out. It started slowly, but soon became loud and echoed in the now-empty graveyard.

As the minutes passed, I got up and made my way to Terry and spoke softly. “…Terry, we need to leave. We cannot stay here forever, your family would not wish for you to follow them on their journey to where they are now. It’s ok to grieve, but let us leave this place for it brings nothing but misery in its wake.” I said while looking down at him. He didn’t seem to register my words and just looked into the distance. I sighed and decided that we would remain here for the rest of the night so Terry would be able to grieve in peace.

I got up and walked away to provide him with some space. “…I’ll be around checking the area to make sure it’s safe, ok? Just call me if you need me.” I let him know and sighed when I did not receive an answer.

I walked away slowly making sure to not step on any of the bodies around me. As I checked for any life nearby, I was not surprised to find none. As I was about to make my way back towards the field, I suddenly spotted a strange structure in the near distance. My curiosity got the best of me and I ventured towards the formation of rocks and earth.

As I came upon the strange structure, I soon realized that it was a cave of some sorts, but in this instance, it was absolutely huge. Whatever lived here or used to for that matter, was definitely large because the top of the entrance looked like it was smashed open from the inside. I hesitated slightly on going into the cave as there might be a bear or some similar creature living in the cave, but by now it would have made its presence known. I also doubt that a beast would choose to live in a place which no food is available. With my doubt slightly cleared, I made my way into the mouth of the cave.

As I ventured deeper and deeper into the cave, it became almost pitch black. After a few moments, I could not see at all anymore. I could not even see the entrance anymore. I had enough. “Lumos!” I shouted as a bright light coated my wand, making the path before me slightly better to see.

I still could not see for shit. It was the damn smoke filling the air, turning the air black and blocking the light from entering the cave. When I thought about that, I wondered just what the hell happened here to cause such a thing. I did not want to feel like I was getting lost, so I began to turn around, however, something sparkled in my peripheral vision. I stopped in my tracks and hesitated. I eventually decided to check it out quickly, as if anything were to happen I did possess my wand so it was not like I was powerless. I walked slowly taking minutes to reach the sliver of light. I stopped every couple of seconds to just wave the light around me to make sure I was not walking into a trap. As my steps thundered forward, I got closer to a room filled slightly with light, however the smoke seemed to swallow the light almost as soon as it touched the ground.

As I entered the room I looked towards the ceiling and noticed that there was a huge hole in it that let the light beam into the room in rays. The moon could be seen almost perfectly from the center of the room. My eyes followed to where the rays hit and I became curious as I saw large oval-like stones in the center of the room. I found myself walking towards the strange stones with my wand out to better see the details. As I came close, I noticed slight bumps and ridges on the glossy black stones. Some of the stones were slightly red in colour. There were six stones all laid out in a circle.

As I thought on the strange scene before me, a drop of water splashed on my face, snapping me out of my trance. I looked up and noticed that many of the stalagmites in this cave dripped water all around me, but I couldn’t notice as…it was too dark. I suddenly paused in my steps in shock. “The cave around me is dark, so much so that even with a light source it is almost impossible to see. The cave has water that drips and cannot be seen as it is hidden in the darkness and away from the light. Forget about human life, no life seems to have come here in a long time, a place devoid of life. In the room, light shines through and grants almost the perfect view of the moon itself while the rest of the room remains in the darkness due to the thick black smoke. An impossible place where darkness and light co-exist.” It seems the revelation was too much for me to handle and my knees gave way. As I laid on the ground, I was in disbelief at the fact that I might just have found the perfect place for me to perform the ritual in.

It was sickening to realize that the fire and destruction helped me out in a way. Somehow Ollivander’s words seemed to ring in my head at that moment, ‘sometimes for one’s story to continue, another’s must end’. I paled at the thought and tried to shove it into the deep recesses of my mind. I refused to believe anything that crackpot spewed from his lips, this was just some coincidence. Wasn’t it? I soon began to feel extremely uncomfortable in the cave and decided to join up with Terry and check on his condition.

As I slowly trekked the cave, I soon found the exit and soon found my way back towards the graveyard. Terry was laying on the ground looking at the sky above. He seemed to have accepted the fate of his kin and was just staring at the stars above, perhaps to see if his kin was one with the universe now. I laid down beside him and just gazed at the sky above. We didn’t say anything for the rest of the night, we just watched as the stars twinkled and lit the night sky. I think Terry had named a few of the stars in the sky after the fallen and smiled every time one of them twinkled at him as if he were speaking to the beyond. The heavy atmosphere was being chipped away slowly as time moved on. Soon oblivion found us and we slumbered deeply, each dreaming of the horrific scene before us.

As light seemed to tickle the lids of my eyes, I awoken slowly. I looked around me in confusion, but when the events of the other night came back to me, I slowly shook my head. I looked around and saw that Terry knelt before the great tree and was chirping quietly as if he were saying a prayer for his fallen. I stood back and waited for him to finish.

After an hour he stopped and soon walked over to me. We did not say anything as we both made our way from the horrible location and into the green forest. After a few hours, we ended up in an open field. I stopped and looked over to Terry and then patted his head lightly. “It’s going to be ok you hear me, Terry, I swear to you that you’ll always have a place with me at all times, hell even during the school years.” I told him compassionately.

He tilted his head slightly. “Preet.” He cooed lightly as if in doubt.

I shook my head. “I’ll find a way to make it work, Dumbledore be damned if I can’t find a way. Anyways that does not matter anymore. What matters now is that you’re not alone, as long as I stand you shall possess a family and a friend.” I told him passionately.

He seemed to waver slightly at my words. He chirped quietly and hopped onto my head closing his eyes. I smiled sadly at him. It would take a lot of time for him to recover from this ordeal, it was never easy losing a loved one he seemed to lose almost all of his in a single night. No matter who you were, it would be rough to endure something like that.

I sighed. It was time for us to make our way home. “Dobby! I call upon you!” I shouted at the sky. A few moments passed and soon a crack was heard in the distance.

“You called, master?” Dobby asked slightly dizzy as if he rushed over here. His eyes were a bit bloodshot so I guess he might’ve been asleep.

“I’m sorry if I waked you Dobby.” I apologized with sincerity.

Dobby waved me off. “It is of no issue young master. Dobby assumes you want to be taken to somewhere like the Leaky Cauldron? They possess a floo and it is not too far from your home.” He asked.

I nodded towards him. “That’s a perfect idea.” I told him nodding my head.

Dobby seemed to notice our slightly downcast expressions. “If Dobby may ask, why is it that Terry is still with you and why does he seem slightly saddened? If anything shouldn’t he be happy that he rekindled with his family and friends?” Dobby asked, curiosity not hidden.

Terry looked away into the distance and I recoiled slightly at Dobby’s question. It was still a bit too soon to be openly talking about such a tragedy. “I-it’s a bit…complicated.” I said awkwardly. “Look, how about we first meet up with Neville and then I only really have to answer it once.” I said while shaking my head.

Dobby looked a bit confused, but he seemed to get the picture that something bad happened. “…Of course…Dobby apologizes for his ignorance if he overstepped his boundaries.” Dobby apologized while fidgeting with his fingers.

I did not look back at him but continued forward. “You didn’t know, so do not worry about it. Let’s just leave this place.” I asked him wanting to just leave everything behind us.

Dobby took a deep breath in and out and suddenly grabbed my wrist. As he snapped, time seemed to slow down to almost a halt, then at once, it sped up like we were going through a wormhole. I could feel my body twisting and turning, elongating and shortening while we seemed to loop through space and time. All of it lasted but a second, however in that moment it felt like an eternity.

As the scenery changed to one of an urban environment, I fell to my knees. As the scent of hops and barley entered my noise, slightly making me more nauseous, I heard the beginnings of laughter from the room. As I shook my head, I got up and over to the fireplace. I endured the elderly wizards joking and reminiscing about their first few times on apparition. As I took hold of some powder, I visualized my home and made to speak. “Malfoy Manor!” I shouted and soon disappeared. Normally to floo to someone’s home you would need to get permission from the head of the family, but since the house recognized me as directly blood-related, I did not need permission.

I met up with my parents as soon as I got home and told them that I was fine, but just needed rest. They seemed to catch onto the fact that something was amiss but thankfully did not pry. When I reached my room, I was surprised to figure out that Neville was in it. When I asked why he had come, he told me that Dobby asked him to be here for some sort of revelation. I mentally smacked my forehead and slightly cursed the house-elf, could he really not have waited.

I sighed deeply as I decided it might as well be better to get the ordeal off my chest sooner rather than later. Before I began my tale, Terry had taken this moment to go to sleep as I could imagine he would not want to remind himself on the tragedy that took place. As each word left my mouth, I could see both Dobby and Neville getting tenser, and they occasionally glanced at the bowtruckle across the room. After I finished my story, they both were saddened greatly for Terry and they made a vow to ensure that he would never suffer a life of loneliness. They both knew not to mention the tragedy to the bowtruckle as everyone now knew what happened and it was best to just let it rest and not cause Terry more pain. If he wanted to open up about it then he would, if not we would never mention it again.

After a few days later I told Neville and Dobby about the cave that I had found and they were ecstatic. I told them that on the next full moon I would begin the ritual again and this time I could almost taste success. The days past and soon the night came, I had prepared the leaf in advance and this time keeping it in my mouth would be much easier. Snape had revealed to me a tip in keeping the leaf in the mouth. Essentially you would need to very carefully fold the leaf a few times so it became smaller and then place it between the gaps of your back teeth. He had given me a special floss that enlarged the gap temporarily so that the leaf would be locked in place. To loosen the leaf all that had to be done was that you had to rub the surrounding teeth three times with your pinky finger. This still didn’t allow you to freely be able to eat what you wanted, but soft foods could now be eaten instead of just a liquid diet.

When a month passed by, Dobby had taken me to the cave alone. Neville had wanted to come along, however, Dobby reminded us that no human could come across the water, the recipient of the potion being the exception. He begrudgingly agreed, however, he demanded that he be allowed to be there when I finally drank the potion. I agreed and we set off towards the cave.

Dobby did not the exact location of the cave so he had to apparate small distances over the forests and fields till we neared the location. Dobby was shocked, to say the least when he came across the graveyard, hearing about something like this did not do it justice. In-person it was much more horrific. After getting over his shock, we ventured out into the cave itself. This was where Dobby and I had stopped.

I sighed deeply and closed my eyes. “Alright, Dobby you need to go in first to collect the dew. Here take this spoon, do not scoop up any water, let it drip onto the spoon.” I said while passing him a silver spoon. “Before you do that, make sure you find the path to the room with light in it. Collect the dew from someplace which I won’t come across, so away from the path to the main room. As soon as the dew is collected call upon me.” I told him making sure that he knew every detail.

Dobby looked up at me and nodded vigorously. “Yes master, Dobby will not let you down.” He vowed to me with fire in his eyes.

“As soon as the full moon is at its peak we will begin the ritual.” I said and Dobby made his way inside the cave. I had a fluttery feeling inside my stomach, success was so close I began to fantasize about which animal I would become. I had only hoped that it could fly as it would be the most fun. I was soon snapped from my daze as Dobby’s voice ringed out.

I hurried into the great cavern and this time I did not use my wand to light the way as I did not want to risk it interfering with the ritual. As I entered the room with the light in it, I stood in the middle of the six stones and took out the crystal phial. As the moon began to glimmer brightly, my fingers made their way to my mouth and trembled slightly. I calmed myself and rubbed my teeth and the leaf slid out into my palm. I held the crystal phial high into the air and placed the wet leaf in it. I quickly plucked a hair from my head and placed it into the phial. As I turned around, a shadow emerged. It was Dobby with the silver spoon. He covered the spoon with his hands till he reached me and let the liquid spill into the phial slowly, ensuring every drop landed in it. After I quickly put the chrysalis into the potion. I let the moon rays hit the mixture for a few more seconds and quickly sealed the potion.

I was breathing hard and felt tingly as each second passed by. I knew that right now was not the time to celebrate however as one more step needed to take place. I looked around me and for some reason, the circle of stones called to me. I crouched down to the floor and plunged my fingers into the hard earth below, plowing it. As a decent sized hole appeared below a stone, I dropped the potion into it and let the stone cover the hole. I stepped back and quickly left the cave, only to return when the conditions had been met. Dobby quickly followed behind me.

This time the process felt almost completely different, I could almost feel like something had happened already. In a few days or weeks, I may just be able to do something that was uncommon even among wizards and witches. Dobby took this time to completely visualize the cave, imprinting it into his memory. The next time we would come here, it would be directly to the cave itself. Now, all we had to do was wait for lightning. We waited in the clearing till the sky painted itself with colour and as the sun started to come into view, I took out my wand and placed the tip of my wand over my heart. “Amato, animo, animato, animagus!” I incanted the words. The first time around, I did not feel anything while chanting these words, however this time around, I felt a cramp in my chest and recoiled from slight pain. It had felt if someone had gripped my heart and squeezed tight, adding some sort of vibration to it. As I fell to my knees, bile and spit exited my mouth. After heaving for a few seconds, I regained my bearings and got up carefully, swaying slightly in my steps.

Shaking off my daze, I asked Dobby to return us to the manor and to keep an eye on the weather. I decided to take my mind off the ritual as I would only be too excited. Luckily Neville’s birthday was in a few days so I had a reason to be distracted.

It was on Neville’s birthday that something that always bothered me came to the light. For his birthday, since he had unlocked his magic, Augusta had seemed fit to gift Neville a wand, which seemed like a great and thoughtful gift at first. However, this wand, in particular, was a bit off since it was originally the possession of another, his father.

“Well, how do you like it Nev? Why don’t you give it a swish or two.” Augusta asked with enthusiasm.

Neville gripped hold of the wand and nothing seemed to happen. He half-smiled at his grandmother and thanked her profusely. “It’s great Gran, I love it.” Neville said with sincerity. Neville already knew that he could feel the wand rejecting him, however, it would break his heart to let his grandmother down or sad.

I looked uneasy at the whole scene, I mean something was just not right, Augusta was an extremely experienced witch. Something like wands not accepting other owners should have been common knowledge to her. I could just not put my finger on it.

As Augusta urged Neville to try his wand out, he tensed unsure and unwilling to disappoint her. I briefly made eye contact with him and nodded my head, telling him to give it a go. He steeled his eyes and prepared himself. “Wingardium Leviosa!” He shouted. A small feather seemed to float in the air and Augusta jumped up and down in joy. Neville was in shock at first, but when he looked over at me he saw my hand stuck out discreetly in the direction of the feather. After he got over his shock, he nodded towards me, thanking me silently.

Augusta jumped over to him and lifted Neville into the air, spinning him around and around. “I knew it. I just knew that you had your father’s spirit in you. Thank you Neville, you have no idea just how proud you made me.” Augusta cried out with tears building up in her eyes.

As their emotional moment was building, another person suddenly stepped into the room. “I told you didn’t I, Neville is the spitting image of his father. There could be no wand more perfect for him than that one right there.” Algie drawled out, chuckling slightly. When he saw me he granted me a slight wink.

As Algie came into the room, all the pieces of the puzzle seemed to come together. I felt my blood boil as he smirked at me, of course, this bastard was behind something like this. How low could he go in order to manipulate an old woman’s feelings for her practically dead son for his games? Hope was a dangerous thing as even if you do not believe it, you wish for it to be so with all your heart, even if cannot be so.

As Augusta wiped her tears she turned to face Algie. “Yes, thank you, Algie. I’m sorry that I doubted you for even a second. Whatever you ask for as long as it is in my power shall be provided to you. Seeing my son again, even if it is just in spirit has given me unbelievable happiness.” She told him while smiling kindly at him.

Algie’s thin lips came together for a moment and then slightly smirked. “There’s no need for reward, after all helping my nephew out is reward enough.” He said while giving her a toothy grin.

Augusta waved him off. “Nonsense. Something like this cannot go without reward.” She was adamant in her resolve.

Algie closed his eyes and chuckled slightly. “Very well.” He then started to smile at me and enjoyed seeing the annoyed expression on my face.

Augusta then turned towards me and Neville. “Oh, by Merlin's beard, it’s a bloody celebration and here I am getting all emotional ruining the atmosphere. Draco why don’t you Neville have some time to yourselves while me and Algie discuss business. If you’ll require me, I shall be in the solar.” Augusta let us know while she departed the room.

Algie told her to go on first as he wanted to say a few words to us first. As Algie walked over to me, I tensed up and fingered my wand. “How do you like the present?” He joked as he gauged my reaction. When I grit my teeth, he licked his lips and smirked. “I saw what you did. I must say that helped me out a lot, so thank you.” He whispered while chuckling.

I bit my tongue hard. “You bastard. You knew I would help Neville out as I didn’t want Augusta to get heartbroken, didn’t you?” I snarled out as I accused him.

He patted me on the back and just smiled. “The way to win in any game is to know how the other player would react in any situation. Fortunately for me, you’re very predictable. Besides who would want an old woman to cry? Keep it up and I’ll almost think that you’re on my side.” He whispered while grinning madly at me.

As his back was turned, I fought the urge to blast him with a curse. This bastard would get what was coming to him one of these days. As he walked away, Neville came and placed his hand on my shoulder. “It’s alright Draco, really it is.” Neville said trying to calm me down. “I’m sure if I try hard enough eventually I’ll be able to make it work.” Neville said softly trying to convince me and I’d imagine himself.

I shook my head at him. “And what if it never works Neville, what then?” I asked while staring into his eyes.

He froze for a second, but then sat down on a chair. “Even if that were to happen, I can still do other things. Potions and working with plants shouldn’t be too hard without a wand if I put some effort into it. Also thanks to you I do now know how to fly, so maybe quidditch could still be a possibility. Besides later in life, adult wizards can usually force most wands to work for them with their willpower, so I might be able to perform a few spells. I just need to be a little patient.” Neville said and he sighed deeply.

As I saw Neville sip his drink deeply, I decided I could not stand for this injustice. I gripped Neville’s shoulders and made him face me. “No I refuse your dismissal of this situation. That bastard wants to play games huh, well I’ll give him a game to play.” I told him with fire in my words and Neville’s eyes started to widen. “As far as he knows, the wand you will possess will be a faulty one, however, in reality, you will possess another wand that is truly yours. Neville, I think it’s about bloody time for you to fight back against all the bullshit that’s thrown your way.” I told him and Neville’s mouth stood agape.

Neville stood up shaking in slight fear at facing anyone much less Algie in confrontation. “W-what are you trying to say?” Neville stuttered out.

I gave him a brief smile. “Neville…you and I are going to get you your very own wand.” I revealed to him.

Neville was thunderstruck. “B-but how? W-we are just children, we cannot purchase something like a wand alone.” He asked in disbelief.

I turned around and stared out the window. “Trust me I know a few people. Tomorrow I’ll come by so can get started.” I told him hoping that my hope wouldn’t get crushed. I could only hope that the power of greed would win them over.

As I was in deep thought, Neville hugged me slightly and told me that he was thankful that I would go this far to help him out, but he was fine if it didn’t work out. I told him to stop being a pessimist and to believe in the universe for once. I sighed only hoping that I was right.

The night passed quickly and I made sure to chant the incantation both at sunrise and at sunset. I made my way to his room and when he was ready we both set off to his fireplace to get ready to floo. “So where is it that we are going exactly Draco?” Neville asked, curiosity not hidden.

I smirked. “You’ll find out in just a second. Just repeat after me.” I said as we both grabbed a handful of powder. “Diagon Alley!” I shouted and began to disappear. Neville was shocked at first but quickly followed suit.

As we landed in a cobbled, narrow street, we stood up. After dusting ourselves off, we coughed slightly and I started to walk. After a few minutes after we passed Ollivanders shop, Neville became confused. “Ollivanders is right there, where are you going?” He asked.

I looked back at him, telling him to follow me into a corner where nobody could listen in. “Listen Neville, Ollivanders might be the most famous shop around here, but with that fame comes heavy connections. Even if he were to sell you the wand, it would never remain a secret, he is required by law to register all purchases to the government so it would undoubtedly fall into the hands of someone unfortunate.” Plus even if he did manage to keep his lips sealed through a bribe, he is too close to Dumbledore and seems to idolize him and right now he still too much of a variable. He sees people as pieces on a chessboard and doesn’t like things to be out of his control, for now, he could not know as well.

Neville’s eyes seemed to have widened. “I’d never have realized.” Neville said in shock as he looked back at the shop warily. “…So where is it that we are going to if not Ollivanders?” He asked.

I smiled at him mysteriously. “You’ll see in a minute.” I chuckled.

Neville pouted a bit, but quickly followed suit. When the destination was clear, Neville seemed to realize where we were heading. “This is the path to Gringotts. Why are we going there?” Neville asked as he furrowed his brow.

I smiled at him. “You’ll find that the clans don’t only focus on banking. Being the main bank for wizards in Europe, they are probably the most well-connected people in the world. After all, greed does hail true.” I revealed to him with a toothy smile.

As I walked towards the door, Neville quickly followed. As we came upon the entrance the goblins guarding it made a path for us. “Lord Malfoy, Lord Longbottom.” The goblins addressed us with respect as they nodded.

We nodded back towards them and made our way through the doors. The scent of metal lingered in the air and as we came to the main hall, a goblin quickly came towards us. “My lords, how may I be of service to you today?” He asked while slightly bowing the tiniest bit.

I smiled at him. “If it’s alright with you, we would like to speak to the manager about a certain proposition that could prove profitable to both sides.” I told him confidently.

He seemed unsure of my claims as he raised a brow and looked me up and down. “You have a proposition?” He sighed heavily, muttering something about children. He soon straightened up. “Of course, I will call upon him at once. However it might take a while as he might be occupied. You’re free to wait here or I can take you to a private room.” He told us.

I nodded at him thanking him. “Thank you, kind sir, if it won’t be too much trouble then we’ll wait in the room.” I said.

He nodded. “Alright follow me!” He said with enthusiasm. As we moved around, we came across a small room and was told to relax. It was not the lounge like last time as I’d imagine they wouldn’t risk something happening again. As we took our seats, Neville’s limit seemed to have been reached.

“Alright, can you please not be all mysterious anymore. What are we doing here and what are you going to propose to Mr. Griphook. I swear every time I look into his eyes, my heart freezes for just a second. I had no idea that goblins could craft wands.” Neville words seemed to spew out his lips like a waterfall, fast and wild.

I rubbed my temples slightly. “Neville calm down, one question at a time. First of all Goblins are not capable of making wands, actually scratch that, if wizards were to give them knowledge of wands then they would undoubtedly be able to create the best of wands. However, it is not so. My proposition to Griphook is that he could get paid for his services in linking me with a person that can create a wand.” I revealed to him.

Neville scratched his chin. “Who?” He asked.

I smiled at him. “There’s probably only one person who is just as talented, if not more, than Ollivander himself who would be willing to do something under the table and not get those pencil-pushers at the ministry involved.” I told him.

Neville was about to ask another question, however, the door creaked open. “Why am I not surprised that you would just waltz in here with ridiculous claims on your tongue to try to entice me. Alright let’s get this over with, I have actual business that needs to be done.” Griphook sighed heavily while massaging his throbbing temples.

Neville squirmed in his seat, but I stood up straight looking the regal goblin in his eyes. “You’re a very busy guy, I get that and that is why I’ll get straight to the point. I need you to help connect me to someone and in exchange, I’ll pay you a fee of one hundred galleons.” I told him while slightly smirking.

Neville seemed to choke on his spit as he heard the figure. I knew I had Griphook’s full attention now. Even though he was incredibly rich, one hundred galleons were nothing to sneeze at. “Alright, you have gained my attention, but before we proceed with this transaction, may I ask how you will be coming up with this amount. After all, even your father would hesitate in giving a child so much money.” He asked as he raised a brow.

I smiled at him. “He doesn’t know and he hasn’t provided me with a knut to complete this transaction.” I said with cockiness.

Griphook seemed to clutch his fist tight and grit his teeth. “…Is that so. So let me get this straight, you come here saying that you will pay me, then turn around and say you have no money? Do you think this is a bloody charity boy? Get the hell out of my bank before I truly lose all control!” Griphook snarled out with venom.

Neville recoiled back in fear, however, I stayed seated. “I never said I was without money.” I smiled lightly at him. I pulled out a piece of parchment from my robes and passed it over to him.

He was confused at first but took the sheet. As his eyes scanned the document, his brows raised slightly. “A legal business document entailing the purchase of services from Gringotts Wizarding Bank in the amount of one hundred galleons. Hmm, it’s sealed with magic too.” He glanced briefly at me with a single eye. “This is much better than before as it would be impossible to fight the transaction, however, I think you are forgetting one thing, you are not yet head of house and have no power in issuing such a thing.” He told me, much calmer now.

I smirked at him. “If you read it there it says one hundred galleons right now. However, if time passes then interest will be piled on until the contract is enforced. Think of it as an investment for the future, as it might be better to wait a little bit and gain more money than a slightly big sum right now. After many years it could very well be a hefty sum, just like a…” I began and Griphook’s eyes widened.

“A bond.” He looked at me as if he were seeing me for the first time. “…You are smarter than you look. Not many nine-year-olds would be well versed in finance, I’ve got to say I’m quite impressed.” He paused for a bit and then sighed deeply. “I’m guessing that this too shall remain a secret from your father?” He asked.

I got up and nodded. “Yes if you would be so kind. Now do we have a deal?” I said while extending my arms forward.

He looked at me a bit warily and then sighed. “The things I do.” He extended his arms to meet mine and we clasped hands shaking on the deal. He walked over to the desk and opened up a drawer. He pulled out what seemed like a letter-opener and passed it to me. I met his gaze and nodded. I brought it to my thumb and nicked it slightly, bringing just a few drops of blood out. As the blood started to drip down, I pressed my thumb against the bottom of the sheet. As the blood coated the parchment, it glowed brightly for a brief second and then died down. I passed the sheet to Griphook and he nodded at me. He quickly pierced his finger and pressed down on the sheet.

As the light died down, he opened his mouth. “Well…now that the formalities are out of the way, we can begin our business, who is it that you want to meet?” He asked as he pocketed the contract.

I looked back at Neville briefly and smiled. I turned back to Griphook and spoke up. “There is one person that we require, however, know that he must know to keep this matter a secret. Who I require is Mykew Gregorovitch.” I demanded and both Neville’s and Griphook’s eyes widened at my demand.

Griphook seemed to get over his shock quickly. “How do you…” He began but was cut off.

“Does it matter?” I said while smiling.

Griphook frowned a bit and then shrugged. “Whatever, I could care less about how you would know of such a man. I’m more surprised you know of his ‘loose’ business practices, I mean you would have to if you called for someone like him. Alright, I will call for him and it should not take too long for him to arrive. He surprisingly does a lot of business with the clans all over Europe.” He revealed while sounding a little annoyed.

I nodded. “The clans are known to be the best of middle-men, after all they could care less about both sides and only like themselves, so there would be no bias.” I said knowing that the more shady characters would probably purchase a few extra wands under the table and use the goblins to seal the deal.

Griphook was about to leave but hesitated for just a second. “May I ask why you need a secret wand? I can see you both already possess one for yourselves, what are you two up to?” Griphook questioned.

I gave him a stoic expression. “Do you really want to know?” I asked.

He gave me an annoyed expression and sighed. “Whatever it is not my business. Stay put and this time do not wander off. I will not save you a second time.” He warned as he left the room.

As he left the room Neville seemed to get over his shock of the past events. “Really Gregorovitch? I think I might’ve heard of him before. I heard he did deal with harsher customers, but to really supply shady characters with wands, I can’t say that I would’ve expected that.” Neville said shocked. “But really Draco…you didn’t have to spend all that money on me, even if it is only in the future.” Neville said worried while fidgeting with his fingers.

I opened one of my eyes and gave him a lazy stare. “Bah, it’s nothing Neville. I mean we are friends, money can only last as long as you’re alive, but relationships can last forever. Think of it as all your holiday gifts put into one.” I joked slightly.

Neville stared at me uneasy for a few seconds and then slowly smiled. “Thank you Draco, I’ll make sure to pay you back someday for all you’ve done for me. I mean it, I shall always remain by your side and you can count on me always.” Neville vowed to me passionately.

I stared at Neville for a bit, then smiled. I decided to lighten the mood. “Aye, I appreciate the thanks, however it’s really my father you should be thanking, after all it is his money.” I joked while chuckling lightly.

Neville noticed what I was trying to do and smiled warmly at me. “Aye, perhaps I shall.” He laughed lightly while shaking his head.

We waited for a few hours, but just as we were about to call Griphook for an update, the door swung open. In came the goblin that we were so accustomed to, however, a tall man came after him. As I looked at the man, I noticed that he was old, not so much so that he would fall over, but a regal age that showed experience. Lines marred his withered face slightly and his face was gaunt. He had hair white as snow and his beard was incredibly bushy. He looked like someone you did not want to anger.

As he came into the room, he looked over at me and Neville and granted us a stoic expression. As he came to the table, he pulled a chair and sat down facing us. Griphook sat at the head of the table getting ready to mediate our discussion. As the seconds passed by, he was the first to speak up. “So you have called upon me. I’m slightly surprised that someone so young would be able to know about these kinds of deals, you do know what you’re about to do is very illegal right?” He asked observing my reaction.

I was a bit nervous, but I steeled myself. I swallowed my spit and faced him head-on. “If I had already gone to this length, then you can rest assured that I’m well aware of the risks associated with this.” I told him seriously.

He paused and a long silence ensued with an intense stare. Sweat clouded my brow as the minutes passed. Just as I was about to speak up he nodded towards me. “Very well. So which one of you children requires my services.” He asked slowly.

Neville gulped and I decided to speak up. “We need a wand for my friend here, if you would be so kind to assist us with that, we would really appreciate it.” I told him quickly getting to the point.

He closed his eyes and nodded. “That can be arranged.” He paused, taking a moment to pull out a pipe from his robes. As he brought out his wand, he extended it towards the bowl, he inhaled deeply. After a few seconds, he let go and blew out a thick cloud of smoke into the air. He then opened his eyes. “Now all we need to discuss is my payment.” He said while squinting at me.

I gulped briefly and sat up in my chair. “For sure. How much do you require?” I asked.

He narrowed his stare. “I usually charge anywhere from five thousand galleons to ten thousand galleons per wand in such situations. It really depends on how much risk it would bring me. Since you’re so young I will be generous and charge you my minimum.” He told me while gauging my reaction to the sum.

My eyes widened and Neville almost fainted at the amount. No matter who you were this was a truly unreasonable amount for a wand. “F-five thousand…” I said in disbelief. My hands were trembling at the amount.

Gregorovitch frowned slightly. “When you account for all the risks that I take, it is actually a cheap price.” He closed into my face. “What do you think would happen if I were to get caught? Forget Azkaban or any wizarding prison, I would be immediately given the kiss or executed outright. Governments fear one thing above all, not being in control, and when people have power that is not accounted for, governments fear for their lives.” He explained justifying his amount.

I could not fault him for charging such a price, after all his life was indeed on the line. As I tensed up and looked at the ground I felt a touch from behind. I looked on over and Neville was smiling at me sadly. “Draco really it’s alright, I can manage without a wand. Not all wizards around the world possess them, I can maybe just learn what they learn.” Neville said trying to comfort me.

I looked seriously at Neville. “It’s not fair, just…give me a second I’ll think of something Neville.” I told him trying to reassure him that there was still a chance.

Suddenly a choking sound was heard. As we turned our heads around, we saw Gregorovitch with wide eyes. “Neville as in Neville Longbottom? As in related to Algie Longbottom?” He stood up and walked over to Neville in shock.

Neville hesitated, but he nodded his head. Seconds past by and we began to worry a bit. Suddenly Gregorovitch started barking mad with laughter. He cackled in what seemed like joy, but only served to put us on edge. He soon gave us both a sly and amused expression, showing his white teeth. “So you two want to play a game huh. That’s rich, children are getting bolder by the generations. This is almost too much fun.” He bellowed out in laughter.

Both me and Neville looked at one another confused and worried. “…Excuse me?” I asked softly.

He suddenly smirked at me. “Alright how about I make you two a once in a lifetime deal? I’ll waive the fee for crafting you your wand, however only if you bring me the ingredients yourselves. It’ll be your fault if you mess up, so you better be careful.” He told me with amusement.

I was slightly shocked by his offer and mentally questioned why he changed his mind. I looked over at Neville and could see the same. “Why did you make this offer?” I asked slightly suspicious.

He chuckled while inhaling deeply on his pipe. He blew a cloud of smoke in my direction. “The look on Algie’s face will be worth a fortune when he finds out what happened. I would actually pay to see something like that. Besides it’s no secret why you need that wand, I only hope I’ll be there when Algie finds out. Perhaps he shall find out when it’s used against him.” He chuckled. “Only time can tell.” He said.

Me and Neville stood still looking at each other briefly. Gregorovitch spoke up. “So do we have a deal?” He asked.

I looked and Neville and then sighed deeply. I extended my arm out and he soon shook it. “Thank you for giving us this deal, it does mean a lot to both of us. When should we call you, right after we get the ingredients or do we need to adhere to some schedule?” I asked him.

He waved me off. “Call me anytime you wish. This is the most fun I’ve had in years, I can only say that I crave for the future to come soon.” He chuckled lightly. He suddenly got up and began to leave. “Well till then children.” He said while muttering something about youth.

Griphook cleared his throat. “Well, that went better than I expected. Really boy you always seem to surprise me every time I see you.” He said while giving me an annoyed expression. “Come back here once you have the materials, we can then complete this transaction.” When we nodded he smiled briefly. “Now if two would be so kind, could you please get the hell off my property now? I have no more time to entertain children.” He scoffed lightly.

We did not need to be told twice. “We’ll be in touch soon, thank you for helping us out Griphook.” I nodded towards him and me and Neville rushed from the bank.

We soon rushed to find a floo as fast as possible and get home to discuss our plan of action. As me and Neville entered my home, we immediately went to my room and locked the door. As soon as we entered, Terry noticed us and made his way to my shoulder. I smiled at him and called out for Dobby.

As a crack was heard in the room I began to speak. “Alright, now that everyone is here I’ve got something to tell you guys.” I said and Terry and Dobby stared at me in curiosity. “We have a little issue here, remember the plan on ensuring Neville was not without protection? Well things got a little complicated. We managed to find someone willing to craft him a wand, however, when the cost of doing such was brought to the table, things got a little awkward. A sum of money which was too large to even repeat was asked and we were stuck at a crossroads of sorts. However thanks to some miracle, which I still am a little suspicious of, he decided to waive his fee.” I paused to let everything sink in. “However in exchange for this offer he demanded us to retrieve all the materials for the construction of the wand ourselves. In that moment I knew I did not exactly know how we were about to go about this, but unfortunately, it was an offer that could not be refused. This is our only chance.” I said and waited for everyone’s response.

Dobby spoke up. “The fact that you even managed to get this far is an achievement in itself, I’m sure we can think of something.” He said while scratching his head. “Let us think about this, wands are made of two main ingredients, the magical core which conducts magic and the wood to house and control it.” Dobby let out.

I nodded towards him. “I’m not too worried about the wood. I’m more so worried about how we could get the core, it’s not like we can bloody go out and hunt dragons, and even if we did we would get locked up faster than you could say snidget.” I said while sighing.

Dobby frowned a bit. “Do not be so dismissive of the wood, master, each part is just as important, the core might learn to accept a user, however the wood directly reflects one’s personality. It would be disastrous to possess a wand that conflicted with yourself.” Dobby chided lightly.

I rubbed my face. “Great this just got a whole lot more complicated, thanks Dobby.” I said sarcastically. “How the hell are we going to find something that matches Neville perfectly, it’s not like we have an expert on the subject?” I groaned.

Terry took this moment to chirp out loud. He started bouncing up and down. “Preet, preet!” He screeched as if he were trying to get our attention.

When I looked at him I was confused for a second, then suddenly I smacked myself on the head. “Of course, I feel so stupid now.” I laughed lightly. “Bowtruckles should know of wood better than possibly the trees themselves. I guess Terry can lead us to one that would fit Neville, we might not even have to worry about the length as well.” I smiled at the bowtruckle and patted his head lightly.

I looked over at Neville. “Now we only got to worry about the core itself.” I looked off into the distance deep in thought. Of course pretty much any magical creature could be used as a core of one’s wand, however it was said that overall three were above all the rest. Of course people like Gregorovitch did not believe that one core was superior to another and he was right in a way, however not everyone could harness the potential of these more contemporary wands. For someone like Neville it had to be one of the main three. Obviously even if Neville possessed the temperament for a phoenix feather, it would be easier to convert Voldemort into the next muggle studies teacher than be able to find a feather. Certainly the headmaster would probably rather die than let his bird give a feather to one who he sees is on the dark side. I shook my head and sighed. “Well we can forget about phoenix feathers, there is pretty much no way we’ll ever be able to get our hands on one. Even if we were able to purchase one on the black market it would undoubtedly cost more than what Gregorovitch would charge us for a wand.” I let out annoyed.

Neville nodded sadly. “Dragon heartstring could be a safe bet, it only desires a user that will be willing to use powerful spells, or had the desire to be powerful. It doesn’t exactly fit my personality, but I could adjust for the sake of the core. The only thing is that we would really have no way to get our hands on one. Dragons are an endangered species so every single heartstring is accounted for safely and almost exclusively sold to legal wandmakers. You need a license to even inquire about them. It would be too risky to get caught selling one illegally as you could be accused of killing a dragon if caught. So I guess that one is out too.” Neville sighed.

That left only one core. The more and more I thought of unicorns, I thought of the similarities to Neville. They were peaceful creatures that were the embodiment of the light. They were so pure that it was taboo even to dark creatures to injure them. They seemed to not like men as men naturally were built to protect and had more aggressive tendencies, however they usually liked children as they were too young to know the harsh realities of this world. Neville was probably the most pure person in the whole story, he was someone who would put his loved ones before him in any situation. I think if we trekked carefully we might be able to convince one to part with a hair. “I think a unicorn hair would suit Neville wonderfully, however, the only issue is now finding one.” I said trying to think of how we could find one.

Dobby scratched his head. “There’s not that many unicorns still living in Europe. All the wars and violence over the years has scared the majority off. However, there is one place we could find one.” He said.

I looked him in his eyes. “Where?” I questioned. He smiled at me and suddenly the location of one came to mind. “You’re bloody brilliant Dobby!” I shouted as I picked him and twirled him in the air.

Neville stood up confused. “What? Am I missing something here? Where is the unicorn?” Neville asked.

I smirked over at him. “There is only one sure place around where we would run into a unicorn.” I paused in order to build suspense. “…The forbidden forest.” I let out.

Neville’s eyes widened dramatically. His mouth was agape. “H-have you lost your bloody mind! We would get eaten alive!” Neville cried out.

I walked over to him and sighed. “Neville sometimes you’ve got to take risks in your life and in this case we really don’t have a choice.” I sighed. “Look Neville I made a promise to you that I would protect you, believe in me a little and give me a chance.” I said while staring deep into his eyes.

Neville seemed to squirm at the idea as he looked off into the distance uneasy. He tensed up and looked downcast. “…Ok…” He said softly.

I rubbed his shoulders, comforting him. “Hey it’ll be alright, you’ll see.” I smiled and turned to Dobby. “Dobby I need you to apparate me, Terry and Neville as deep into the forest as you can without alerting any of the creatures to our location. As soon as you take us there immediately go back home to keep an eye on the weather.” I instructed him.

Dobby looked conflicted. “Dobby cannot just let you two venture alone. Dobby does not like the sound of this.” He told me worried.

I shook my head at him. “Listen Dobby, the weather can change at any moment, I need someone to be keeping an eye on the cave in the meantime, and I cannot afford to fail a second time around. Whenever you sense lightning is about to strike, come to us at once and take us to the cave no matter what we are doing.” I said denying him.

He stared at me for a few seconds and sighed deeply. “As you wish master, but know you should always remain vigilant in the face of danger.” He warned me.

His words seemed to remind me of someone else, but I shook off that thought. “Alright, everyone grab hold of me. Dobby when you’re ready.” I told them and with a crack the room was soon empty.

In an eerie and dark forest, sounds of all kinds were heard. Those of nature and those of bloody confrontation sounded out echoing into the evening. Suddenly a loud crack was added to the symphony and an odd group of little creatures appeared and fell onto the ground. The sound seemed to echo throughout the forest, alerting many to the familiar sound. Unknown to the visitors, already they had gained the attention of many.

As I fell face-forward into the moist ground, I groaned in slight pain. I got up and stretched my weary muscles and cracked my bones of the tension they held. I was still delirious, but I heard a second crack signalling Dobby’s departure. I looked around the forest and felt goosebumps travel up my arms. It was only evening, yet in this forest, it was dark as the night itself. I huddled closer to Neville as roars and screeches bellowed out in the distance. Neville seemed as if he were on the verge of passing out from fright.

I knew we could stay idle for long. If the creatures in this forest did not hear the first crack of the apparition, then they definitely heard the second. Right here in the clearing, we were sitting ducks and almost too easy of a meal. I decided not to taunt the forest and grabbed hold of Neville and placed Terry onto my head. I quickly dove into a thick bush and waited to see if anything would pop out to challenge us.

As the minutes ticked by, my pulse quickened and my heart thundered like the hooves on a battlefield. Neville stuck close to me and held me in a death grasp, and I could see him constantly turning and flinching whenever he heard a sound near us. After what seemed like an eternity, I swallowed my fear and decided to move forward.

“Alright, we’ve waited long enough…Terry, I need you to lead us in a direction in which we can find a suitable tree for Neville.” I whispered.

Terry nodded and seemed to analyze Neville as if he were looking into his soul. Naturally Terry and Neville had interacted a lot in our time together so he should have had a good grasp on Neville’s personality. Suddenly Terry chirped quietly and bounced up and down. He seemed to point in a direction and urged us to go towards it. As I trekked the path, occasionally Terry would pull my hair in a direction, signalling me to change direction. After carefully travelling for a while. We stumbled upon a true scene of beauty.

In the clearing, a ray of light seemed to spill out from the dark clouds and the canopy of leaves above us. Rabbits and small creatures played with each other in this place. It spoke songs of peace and a place to rest without fear. Seeing the environment seemed to manage to calm both mine and Neville’s nerves just a bit. The ray of light beamed and hit a thing of true beauty. A small bushy tree rested in the clearing. It possessed little specks of red within the mountain of green leaves. Berries and fruit to nourish those around ensuring life would thrive. It gave off such a strong feeling of peace, we almost got locked into a trance just gazing at it. We walked over to the tree and the animals did not run off. They seemed to be comfortable with our presence around this tree.

Terry jumped off and climbed deep into the tree. As we watched him work, we sat on the ground enjoying the sight. A bunny landed in my lap and I started to caress it. “Rowan.” I said.

Neville kept his eyes on the tree, nodding. “It has been said that no dark wizard has ever possessed a rowan wand. Looking at this tree right now, I can tell exactly why that is the case. I’ve somehow never been more at peace in my life.” Neville said as he basked in the rays of light.

The lush green leaves swayed in the wind as Terry found a branch that he liked and began to work on it. His hands were like razors as he wilted and shaped the great piece of wood. As he wiped his brow from sweat, he leaped off the tree and made his way back to us. As he passed me a twisty long piece of wood, I gave it a swish. “It’s springy, looks like about twelve and a half inches in length, somehow Neville I think this is the perfect vessel for you, I can just feel it. Combined with a unicorn hair, it could be said to be the most pure wand ever.” I told him.

I passed him the wood and he seemed to hold it close to his chest. “I can only hope so.” He said.

“Alright, we need to get that unicorn hair as soon as possible. I don’t think we should press our luck any further than we already have.” I said and Neville nodded with determination in his eyes.

We were about to walk back, but after a few minutes, we suddenly heard loud barking and the sounds of thunderous footsteps. It seemed as the ground shook with each step that was heard. We both looked at each other and dove into a giant bush thick of leaves. Thorns pierced our skin, but we did not dare yell out as our minds were elsewhere.

Suddenly a deep voice bellowed out. “Fang! You mangy mutt, hol’ on up! Can’t ye see me strugglin’ back ‘ere? I knew I shouldn’t have eaten that damn cake. I think I’m gonna be sick.” Hagrid bellowed out while clutching his stomach. “Now ye heard that loud snap. It can only be them misfit kids at work ‘ere, lil ol’ Filch will have a spasm, yes he will, when he finds out some of ‘em sneaked in ‘ere.” Hagrid groaned.

As I looked upon I saw the towering figure of Hagrid and was shocked out of my mind. Was he really human? I suddenly realized why he had lasted so long in this forest, even a troll would probably hesitate in attacking this man. He was at least ten feet tall and four times as wide as a regular man. His arms were thick and long like tree trunks. His face was bloated and his eyes were small. His beard was incredibly bushy, almost hiding his face completely. The most menacing thing about him was his hands. They were so large that I thought he could wrap them around my waist and pick me up with just a hand. His feet were as large as my torso and shook the ground with every step he took. I knew he was half a giant, but this was just ridiculous. I couldn’t lie in that moment I was never so scared in my life.

As he neared closer and closer to us, I trembled and began to pale. Neville beside me began to hyperventilate and began to spasm slightly. I grabbed hold of him to try and calm him down, but it was no use as I was about to lose my mind soon as well. As the great black hound sniffed in the surrounding scent, his path seemed clear and he began slowly approaching our position.

He paused slightly as he tensed up his lower muscles as if to pounce forward. Just as he was about to launch himself I quickly closed my eyes shut and curled into a ball in denial, breathing heavily. As the seconds passed by I was almost too afraid to open up my eyes, but eventually, I did. When I opened my eyes I stared forward at the dog that was only a foot away from my face. It stood still like a statue, even though it did not move it was menacing to see. Drool leaked from the side of his mouth and his head was tilted slightly. His eyes were glazed over as he gave me a blank look. I gulped and looked over at Neville as he had completely silenced himself.

When I turned my head over to him I saw something strange. At first, I had thought he fainted in the face of danger as he laid on the ground seemingly unconscious, however, his eyes were still open. His eyes seemed to have rolled back into his head as the blanks of eyes could be seen. Veins bulged slightly around his eyes as he laid on the ground. Suddenly the dog moved slowly back from the bush and started walking slowly in the direction opposite of us.

Hagrid in this time had finally caught up to his dog and panted heavily from running the distance. “Ye *hah* bloody beast *hah* didn’t I tell ye ter wait fer me.” Hagrid let out in ragged breaths. “Well, did ye find ‘em?” Hagrid asked.

The dog barked loudly and seemed to run away in another direction than he originally guided Hagrid to. Hagrid felt slightly suspicious. He moved forward and looked into the clearing. He saw animals frolicking by the lovely tree and moved on. His eyes briefly lingered on an overgrown bush. As he stared at it, he was knocked from his trance from Fang barking out. He shook his head and ran after his dog as he did not want to get too far behind. “Alright, alright already. Calm yer horses, I’m coming!” Hagrid shouted out, quickly following after his faithful companion.

After a few minutes when Hagrid’s footsteps could no longer be heard, I dove out from the bushes dragging Neville with me. He seemed to rapidly blink and soon his eyes turned from the inside and faced me once more. He started breathing heavily and suddenly he turned over to the side. He heaved and purged the contents of his stomach to the ground. As he laid there, he trembled slightly. He saw me and his eyes widened.

I looked at him uneasily. “Neville…what was that back there?” I asked worriedly.

He did not look me in the eyes as he shook and looked into the distance. “…I-I d-don’t know.” He stuttered out and covered his face. “When I saw that dog, all I could think of was not wanting to get caught and then…and then something just happened.” He looked at me in fear. “I don’t know what happened, I swear…it’s just…” Neville cried out.

I grasped Neville and shook him rapidly to knock him out of his daze. “Neville, Neville!” I shouted. “It’s ok, it’s ok, you didn’t do anything wrong, whatever you did helped us not get caught so I’m happy you did it, just let me know if anything feels off, alright?” I reassured him.

Neville seemed to calm down and shook his head lightly. I turned around the clearing to ensure that we were not being followed and told Neville to follow suit. We ran as far from Hagrid’s direction as we could, but it seemed as if it were getting darker by the second. We were getting thirsty and tired and needed a place to rest. We managed to find a large clearing with a lake.

As we shed our clothing and dunked ourselves into the pool of water, we relaxed and washed the dirt that had accumulated from this journey. As we were putting our clothes back on, something completely unexpected happened. The water rippled lightly and the moonlight reflected off the surface creating an other-worldly image. The fog seemed to part ways as a beacon of white light seemed to step through. As the most beautiful thing I had ever laid my eyes on stepped through the water, it made its way towards us.

Neville and I stepped backwards and made way for the unicorn. The unicorn stopped right in front of us and bent down to take a drink of water. While he was seemingly distracted he waved his tail at us as if he were inviting us to come closer. When the unicorn finished drinking his water, he noticed that we still stood where we were and had not come closer to him. He neighed lightly as if we had past some test and made his way over to us. As the majestic beast came to us, he lightly brushed his tail across Neville’s face. He made eye contact with me and I nodded. I moved behind him and very gently plucked a single strand of hair from him. When I pulled the hair I waited to see if anything would happen, but the unicorn just walked away without looking back at us. As he walked through the lake, he soon entered the fog and disappeared.

It took us a few minutes to process what had happened and we soon smiled at one another. Just as we were about to make our way from the forest, loud roars were heard. From two trees leaped two great beasts that had cornered their prey. They were yellow with black spots, however, their spots were so big it seemed from a distance that they were completely black like the night itself. As they crept closer to us, I noticed they did not make any sound. Their eyes were yellow and deep and seemed to paralyze us briefly. They opened their mouths showing their sharp teeth and a miasma of darkness seemed to emit from its mouth. They licked their teeth as if anticipating a meal.

Suddenly a branch was broken and I was knocked from my daze, I quickly told Neville to run as I took out my wand. “Incendio!” I cried out. A burst of fire shot out from my wand and hit right into a bush. The impact caused the bush to go up in flames. I pointed my wand towards the ground. “Incendio!” I shouted. I kept on shouting the spell over and over again to try to create a barrier of flames.

The nundu seemed unconcerned with the flames as they breathed in deeply and together a sickly looking breath was emitted from their mouths. The breath seemed to kill everything in its path. Bushes and trees withered as if they had rotten. The grass shrivelled up and turned brown. It seemed to interfere with the air in the fire and the fire soon died up.

They both jumped closer to me, taking their time to taunt their prey. One of them circled around me and I turned around to face it. The one in front made a playful lunge at me as he lightly swiped at me. As I felt his claws dig into my skin, I yelled out in pain. I extended my arm out and blood seemed to drip down. I panted hard. “Diffindo!” I yelled out. It shot out directly into the face of the beast and it suddenly cried out in pain. As it opened its eyes it gave me a deadly look as he suddenly swiped at my wrist hard, breaking it and knocking my wand out of my grip. I fell to my knees in pain and tears began to fall from my eyes.

As I laid there, the beasts began to come closer to me blocking all directions of escape. In that moment I realized I did not want to die. As their mouths opened largely, suddenly they stood still. I was delirious and could not see so well and blood and sweat seemed to cloud my vision, but I noticed the beasts backed away from me. I squinted hard and I could make out their faces briefly. Their eyes were glazed over and as they stood a distance from me, suddenly two creatures followed by Neville came from the dense forest. As the centaurs came closer to me, their expression was stoic. A few seconds later the beasts seemed to have regained their bearings and looked around confused. As their eyes landed on the centaurs, they widened incredibly and I could see the fear they felt. They slowly backed away and soon full on ran from the clearing as if they had just seen the thing of nightmares.

Just then, Neville ran over to me and hugged me tightly. Terry seemed to cry out in joy. As my vision was blurry, I wiped my brow and noticed a strange tree in the distance. It was just like the one I had seen in the garden that day. It had a face carved into it and seemed to bleed sap-like blood. As I stared at the ashy wood, the centaurs approached.

A light paled skin centaur made his way to me. His was white-blond and his eyes a deep blue. He seemed to be the nicer of the two as determined by the look on his face. The other centaur was almost completely black in colour. He had dark skin and hair and a black beard. He was sporting an annoyed expression and seemed to be at his limits.

The lighter centaur spoke up as he made sure there was no further threat. “It was not wise of you to venture into someplace like this. You’re lucky that the elder had foretold us of this event. You must leave this forest at once.” He said stoically.

I was confused. “Elder?” I asked.

He shook his head. “It is not yet time for you two to meet, I have foreseen what is to come and now is not the time.” He revealed.

The other centaur seemed to have lost his patience. “Firenze that is enough. We have done our duty, now let us leave these humans be.” He told him and turned to me. “If you were not as young as you are, then regardless of what the elder had asked we would not have come to your aid, in this forest we believe in the circle of life. However, everything deserves to at least grow up, even humans.” He spat. “Now leave, this forest is ours and ours alone. No human belongs here.” He warned and soon ran off into the distance.

Firenze seemed to shake his head at his friend’s behaviour. “Forgive him, Bane means well.” He apologized. He soon turned serious. “But he is right. You need to leave now. Go east, the path has been cleared for you. There you can call upon your friend to take you from this place.” He said.

He turned around and was about to take off, but I called out for him. “Wait!” I shouted and he paused. “Thank you for your help.” I said and he nodded. As he was about to take off again, I suddenly asked a question that was running through my head. “Wait. What is that tree over there?” I asked as I pointed to the strange tree.

He looked over at the tree and soon started laughing. “You are smarter than you look, Draco Malfoy.” He said as he ran off into the forest.

As I laid confused and annoyed, Neville shook me. “I was so worried. I-I thought you were going to die.” Neville cried out as tears began to fall from his face.

I turned towards him and smiled lightly. “I told you to have a little more confidence in me, didn’t I?” I joked lightly.

He seemed to cheer up a little as he helped me up to stand. Neville found my wand and put it into my robes. As we trekked slowly out from the clearing, we reached a safe distance. Just then a crack was heard.

Dobby seemed ecstatic as he jumped towards us. “Master! Lightning is about to appear, we need to get to the cave at once.” He cried out. When he noticed my state, he yelped. “Master, what happened to you?” He asked in shock.

I pushed forward. “There’s no time, take us to the cave at once.” I said.

He seemed to hesitate, but my look signalled him into action. He snapped at me and my wounds seem to close themselves. My wrist was not completely healed, but at least I could now grip things with it. He soon grabbed hold of us and with a crack, we disappeared.

As we appeared in front of the cave, I ran forward ignoring Neville, Dobby, and Terry. As I entered the cave lightning danced in the sky and thunder filled the air. I extended my wand using my left hand. “Lumos!” I shouted lighting the way. As I moved further I could hear footsteps behind me signalling Neville and the gang following me. As we reached the room I lifted the stone and dug out the potion. To my relief, a blood-red potion was held in my grasp. Neville seemed to have gasped and his eyes widened at something in the room. However, I had no time to deliberate on what as I needed to quickly take the potion.

I ran out of the cave and into the clearing. As lightning danced around, I brought my wand to my heart and incanted. “Amato, animo, animato, animagus!” I chanted and felt my heart clutch itself. I soon uncorked the potion and downed it in one go. Almost at once fiery pain enveloped my body and my heart felt as it was being ripped from my chest. My body began to spasm and I began to tremble on the ground. My vision blanked out as foam seemed to bubble from my mouth as my eyes turned inwards. In my mind, a shadowy figure emerged. It was scaly and dark, and I could only focus on its wings as it seemed to dance around in my head. As it reached me, my eyes seemed to pop back out and I could feel a change about to take place.

My clothes felt tight, incredibly so. I thought they were about to get shredded when instead they seemed to merge with my skin. I heard my bones creak and crack as they adjusted themselves. Every change made me feel like I was about to pass out. I felt talons dig their way into my feet as it turned scaly and black. I could feel my body stretching and elongating. I felt something grow from my backside and saw a black tail with ridges growing quickly. My neck stretched and it felt like I was getting choked. My arms felt like they were being pulled apart as they grew to great lengths. They thinned out incredibly and I saw a webbed grey wing grow from them. My hands turned into two claw-like appendages. I could see the rest of my body quickly being covered with black scales and dark ridges. Two bronze horns grew from my head and I felt my vision get brighter as my eyes throbbed.

I stumbled forward and coughed as I felt my lung was about to burst. A small ball of fire erupted and singed the grass before me creating a small fire. Suddenly my beastly instincts took over me and I began to move my arms or now my wings rapidly. I flapped at an awkward pace and as I took off slightly from the ground, I lost traction and plummeted to the earth below. A deep primordial roar seemed to bellow out from me and I shook my head back and forth. My long snout seemed to puff of a cloud of smoke and I set off again. I awkwardly moved slowly and flapped my wings and took off. Again after a few seconds, I seemed to crash to the earth. Unfazed I tried again and this time I managed to find my balance. As I soared through the air, I looked down below and saw Neville with his mouth agape and Dobby on the floor shocked out of his mind. I looped around the air a few times and decided to land. Unfortunately, I was still new to this and crashed to the ground. As I groaned in pain, I suddenly thought of my human form and in my mind, the shadowy being seemed to go back into the depths of my mind.

As I returned to human form, I heaved heavily and tried to get up. Neville seemed to have made his way to me in this time. He passed me my wand and I took hold of it, but he remained quiet. After a while, I spoke up. “W-was that a bloody dragon.” I wheezed out still coughing. “How come I was so small, I couldn’t have been more than six feet in length?” I asked not really expecting an answer. When no response was given I looked at Neville.

Dobby spoke up. “T-that was a Norwegian Ridgeback…there can be no mistake…in that cave…” Dobby began.

I looked at him confused. “What? What are you talking about the cave for?” I groaned still in pain.

Neville took this time to speak up. “…Draco…those stones in the cave they were…” He paused slightly looking worried. “…Those were dragon eggs. Well dead dragon eggs, they have long since fossilized.” Neville revealed suddenly looking at the cave in fear as if he expected something to emerge from it.

I suddenly whipped my head towards the cave and suddenly it seemed darker than before. My heart seemed to beat fast as I realized what truly happened here. A mother chose this spot for her eggs as it seemed to be a peaceful location, I did not know why it did not choose the mountains, but it made its lair here. It returned one day to find its eggs had died somehow and in its fury destroyed everything in its path. It was so angry that the fire it released lasted possibly years. I gulped and backed away from the cave.

This place was truly a graveyard. I paled and the rest seemed to figure out what truly happened here. “I-I suggest we leave this place…” I said looking uneasy.

Neville and Dobby seemed to agree as they nodded. Terry just looked uneasy. Dobby took a hold of us and with a snap, we found ourselves outside Gringotts. As Dobby took Terry and disappeared, Neville and I entered the bank.

As Griphook saw us he quickly brought us to the same room as before and told us to wait. He seemed to notice that some change had taken place since our last meeting as he looked at us strangely. After waiting for a while Gregorovitch stepped into the room.

He was about to make a joke, but he seemed to sense the mood so he didn’t. “Have you got the materials?” He asked.

Wordlessly we passed him the hair and the wood. He whistled. We told him that a bowtruckle had supplied the wood and he seemed satisfied. He told us that meant he did not need to modify it much, just polish it up a bit, however, he believed in rugged natural-looking wands so it would not look pretty. We just nodded and gave him the hair. When we told him that the unicorn personally allowed us to take it, he seemed pleased saying that it would almost be a guarantee that it would work for Neville as the creature had already chosen him to use his power. He took the wood and went to the back and began its construction. After about an hour, a light brown and twisty wand was passed to us and we thanked him and left.

As Gregorovitch watched the young boys leave he could only imagine what was in store for them. He somehow knew that they would go down in history, only if that was for being foolish or great truly remained the question. He chuckled. “Algie you old dog, let’s see if you can learn any new tricks, I think you’ll truly be needing some soon.” He shook his head and soon left the bank, but Draco, in particular, remained on his mind.


End file.
